Yesterday, I spent several hours glued to my laptop, refreshing live updates about the US elections.
Much of it was because I couldn’t look away from the horror. A chunk of it was also about wanting to fulfill my duty as a journalist on the other side of the North Atlantic Ocean. I cannot write credible reports about anything I haven’t looked into extensively.
Of all the things I saw in my transfixed state, perhaps one of the most revolting news articles I read referred to a long list of heads of government falling over each other to applaud the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States.
Of course, I am well aware of the fact that it is customary for leaders to congratulate each other on winning a domestic election. Even countries known to be butting heads with one another often briefly pause hostilities, at least until the transition of power is complete. One can argue that it is just good diplomatic practice and that there is no harm in it.
But we are not exactly talking about any other domestic election here, are we? We are, in fact, talking about a convicted felon’s ascent to power. We are talking about how American citizens chose an individual who has openly boasted about subverting democracy, rounding up millions of people and deporting them, sabotaging the world’s ailing efforts to tackle climate change, and eradicating what’s left of the free press.
Why are world leaders – many of whom are privately making preparations for the worst case scenarios under Trump’s regime – rushing to abide by democratic norms in a situation that is anything but normal? Why are they kowtowing to a mercurial individual who is totally hostile towards anything that doesn’t come prefixed with a currency sign and a string of zeroes at the end?
Anyone who’s ever paid attention in a history class should know by now that appeasing tyrants is not a long-term strategy that ever works. This is the second time we will be seeing Trump run the Oval Office like it was a piece of New York real estate. Everyone knows exactly what to expect now. The world is up against a battle-hardened team of Trump loyalists who will be in control of every major branch of the US government. It will be a redux of the 2016 administration, only far worse.
And yet, there they went – our own leaders, of course, had to immediately rush to social media to post warm words of congratulations for the United States’ latest waking nightmare.
“President-elect @realDonaldTrump, my best wishes and those of the Government of Malta. I look forward to working together to deliver the peace, stability and prosperity that the world’s people deserve.” – Prime Minister Robert Abela
“Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his election. We look forward to a strengthened relationship between Malta and the United States of America promoting shared values and opportunities that benefit both our nations and the people.” – Opposition Leader Bernard Grech
Upon examination, a few possibilities emerge. Let’s begin with our prime minister.
Abela was either watching an entirely different election campaign (i.e.: one which wasn’t a constant streak of wild, untrue allegations and absolutely hysterical rants), is unable to discern what’s wrong about Trump’s scheming (probably because it feels like home), or is just doing what every other world leader felt compelled to do: ‘better to suck up to him early on before he flips out on us.’
As for the leader of the Opposition, well – Bernard Grech had absolutely nothing to lose had he at least bothered to pretend he cares about the gross violations Trump committed in his path towards the presidency. At a stretch, one could do so while still balancing it delicately with the diplomatic standard everyone else went with. But God forbid the Nationalist Party ever considering stepping out of the box they like to be in.
Everyone from NATO to the European Commission to individual countries like France and Germany in Europe did the same, congratulating Trump for winning the election, without openly acknowledging the problems which will inevitably occur as a result. NATO was in turmoil over Trump’s past threats of pulling out if other members didn’t step up their military spending. The European Commission is bracing itself for a trade war with the US, with France and Germany biting their nails as both of their governments crumble in the meantime.
I wish I could pinpoint when exactly it became perfectly normal for world leaders to congratulate a despot on being elected as the leader of a global superpower. What’s next? Shall we also congratulate North Korea once their current leader eventually pops his clogs and some other new dictator takes his place? I’m sure Trump wouldn’t mind, considering he was the first US president to shake hands with Kim Jong Un in 2018. He even stopped by for a visit in North Korea in 2019.
The crucial lesson that needs to be learned from the outcome of the US election is that not being willing to go far enough to challenge someone who does not abide by the same rules means you will inevitably get trounced. The Democratic Party consistently failed to provide real solutions for the American public, and made itself extremely vulnerable to valid criticism about its failure to do so. You cannot claim to be a beacon of hope for a better future, not after you already broke promises you made decades ago.
Pretending that everything is normal is not going to cut it. That is exactly what not being willing to go far enough looks like. Failing to stand up to tyranny at every opportunity is not diplomacy – it is cowardice wearing a disguise.