Few people understood President Trump’s reference during his inaugural address to bringing about “a golden age.” But in less than a month the meaning of that reference is becoming clearly apparent.
Virtuous revolutions are those that occur as a result of the will of the people. On the cusp of the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence, Trump is leading a return to America’s roots based on the will of the people as expressed on November 5, 2024.
Trumpism is a response to globalism which seeks to subvert national sovereignty and the values on which Western civilisation was built – individual liberty, religious freedom and respect for tradition and heritage.
Last week Europe had a taste of Trumpism when Vice President JD Vance addressed a gathering of Europe’s elites in Munich. Unpacking his theme of ‘shared values,’ Vance severely upbraided the elites for “Soviet-era” treatment of their fellow citizens by censoring and criminalising freedom of speech.
“The threat I worry about most regarding Europe is not Russia or China….it is a threat from within; the retreat of Europe from its most fundamental values, values shared with the US,” declared Vance.
He put Europe on notice that America’s new agenda was one that listens to citizens, protects their rights and promotes Western Civilisation over Orwellian globalism. The US would not stay silent when European elites sought to silence opposition and to subvert election outcomes the likes of which occurred recently in Romania.
Thus, the essence of Trumpism is the reassertion of moral leadership on the world stage by rejecting undemocratic globalism and those, like the ANC which spurn the ‘shared values’ to which Vance referred while accepting US aid and trade benefits.
If BRICS was the brotherhood it claims to be, it would have rushed to guarantee aid to South Africa following its loss of US aid. Instead, BRICS key members are silent. Indeed, it is likely that BRICS becomes an early casualty of Trumpism. Two BRICS countries likely to align with Trump are Russia and India because of shared interests. That would reduce BRICS to socialist-ruled Brazil under Lula, China and the ANC.
As China proceeds to establish strategic trade choke points – the Red Sea, the ‘Silk’ Road to the Middle East, the eastern Pacific while cultivating South America, Panama and seeking a foothold in Greenland – the Cape sea route once again becomes strategically significant as the gateway to the Indian Ocean.
Trumpism is reconfiguring international relations. That means testing times ahead for the ANC’s relations with China.
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