"a week that began with a US threat to seize a European territory, whether by force or extortion, has ended with the promise of negotiation and therefore a return to normality. But that is a dangerous delusion. There can be no return to normality. The world we thought we knew has gone. The only question now is what takes its place a question that will affect us all, that is full of danger and that, perhaps unexpectedly, also carries a whisper of hope."
"Forget that Donald Trump eventually backed down from his threats to conquer Greenland, re-holstering the economic gun he had put to the head of all those countries who stood in his way, the UK among them. The fact that he made the threat at all confirmed what should have been obvious since he returned to office a year ago: that, under him, the US has become an unreliable ally, if not an actual foe of its one-time friends."
"having earlier told the Norwegian prime minister, who he falsely accused of denying him a Nobel medal, that he was becoming bored of peace, he came to Davos to launch his board of peace. Trump is the one book you can judge by its cover, and so the new body's logo said it all: as one wit observed, it was basically the UN badge except dipped in gold and edited so the world only includes America."
Donald Trump's threats to seize Greenland and to economically coerce allied countries demonstrate a willingness to break norms and alienate partners. His remark that NATO allies were off the frontlines in Afghanistan insulted the families of the 457 British service personnel who died in that conflict. The Davos launch of a so-called board of peace, with a logo echoing the UN and a proposal of $1bn for a permanent seat, signals an attempt to monetise and supplant post-1945 institutions. The existing international order cannot simply return; significant danger and uncertain change now lie ahead, with a faint possibility of new arrangements emerging.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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