Any doubt that the United States is hell-bent on
provoking a confrontation with Iran has vanished with confirmation that
Washington will bludgeon Western allies into following its lead on re-imposing
sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
An appeal from Britain, France and Germany to grant broad exemptions to European
companies continuing to do business with Iran was rejected out of hand by Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin who stated
their determination to exert unprecedented economic pressure on the Government
in Teheran.
Defiance of Washington would almost certainly
result in sanctions against individual companies, shutting them out of the much
bigger US market. In effect this means the Iran nuclear deal, in which that
country agreed to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for a roll
back of sanctions, is dead in the water.
The development will further widen the split
between Europe and the United States, something which US President Donald Trump
seems to want to foster, with his continual criticism of the European Union and
support for hard line Brexit elements in the United Kingdom.
Trump has called the Iran deal the worst the US has
ever signed, but his criticism has nothing to do with its effectiveness — all
the other partners thought it was working well — rather, it was because it was
instituted by his despised predecessor, Barack Obama.
For those seeking some consistency in the
president’s actions, there is one constant — a determination to erase Obama’s legacy
from history.
The Iran nuclear deal, continuing efforts to
undermine the Affordable Healthcare Act,
withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement — all have the same
anti-Obama theme.
Obama supported the European Union and urged the
United Kingdom not to exit; Trump seeks to undermine the EU and numbers leading
Brixiteers Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson among his “close friends”.
Even Trump’s latest disastrous attempt to cosy up
to Russian President Vladimir Putin stems from the fact it was under Obama’s
watch that sanctions were imposed against Russia after its annexation of Crimea
from Ukraine.
His fury has been increased because, to quote from
Oprah Winfrey’s cameo role in The
Handmaid’s Tale, Obama is “still there”, gaining plaudits on the international
stage, addressing adoring crowds while giving the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
in Johannesburg.
Obama will never run for office again, and for many
months of the Trump presidency obeyed the accepted dictum that a former president
should not interfere, or criticise his successor, but it is clear, in the
company of many leaders internationally and domestically, that he has lost
patience with the antics of the White House incumbent.
Trump’s tactics may play well in some corporate
boardrooms, or on reality television shows, but they simply cannot endure in the
wider world of diplomacy and international relations.
Trump has severely weakened his nation on the world
stage. His bluster and constant references to the US’s military might have all
the hallmarks of an intellectually challenged playground bully who, unable to
win a civilised argument, resorts to his fists.
His one-time allies, who until now had been hoping
that experience in office, or the ability of competent advisers to rein him in,
have had enough.
The world can be a lonely place – even for the
leader of an international superpower
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