Dear President-Elect of the United States Mr. Donald Trump!
Next week, you assume the highest office of your country, the United States. First, very well done! You have earned this office - unlike others who, by virtue of the party machine, some grit, and some intelligence became presidents of the United States (Some became so by mere virtue of social engineering and manipulation thereof).
While your agenda is clear; unlike your opponents who obscured theirs with fine sounding but glib phrases and slogans, you tore through this glibness ad upended their false and flawed paradigms. A challenging task given the weight, support and what economists call ‘path dependence’ of the US establishment, you have, if not drained but surely made the swamp jittery. But this is just the beginning!
The ‘task’ for want of a better word begins with the American state and the version of market capitalism that’s been thrust on the American people and the world, at large. This model has worked only for the elite. The working classes were made victims of a ‘false consciousness’; in reality they have been the victims of elitist globalism – a part of which was globalization which essentially entailed ‘reconfiguration of time and space, aimed at rendering the nation state construct passe’. But while globalism was an elitist agenda, some features and elements of globalization are sanguine.
Forgive me for the unsolicited suggestion (or advice if you may) but you can instruct your team to cull out the best elements of globalization and galvanize these for the good of your nation. Here an idea of nationalism that (again) works for the good of your nation should be an important ideational and conceptual complement to the ‘good’ elements of globalization.
These culled out features or elements must accord grist and mill to the idea and practice of citizenship of/in America in the 21st century. But a ‘caveat emptor’ here, Mr. President, this 21st century idea of American citizenship must not be in a nature of a soporific; it must NOT induce stupor and complacency among Americans.
Materially, there should be substance to rights, duties and responsibilities that inhere in citizenship; these must not be notional that induce a mere feel-good factor among Americans (like Democrats with their focus on identity politics did). Rights for all Americans, Mr. President sir, must be real! An important corollary to this should be access to justice for ALL Americans. There must, to employ a prosaic phrase, rule by law; not rule by lawyers.
This is the somewhat abstract but at the same time real agenda for a renewed, refitted America – whose elements would go into ‘Making America Great Again’.
Now, Mr. President Sir, allow me to briefly dwell on political economy. I have personal experience and vantage points to offer here – from the streets, shelters to interactions (conversations) with both the elite and ‘average’ Americans. When I visited your country in 2007-2008, when the loquacious Barack Obama was ‘audaciously and hopefully’ gaslighting Americans, I was shell shocked to see ‘white Americans’ in economic, and financial and concomitantly social distress. (Parts of America that I visited and saw, corresponded to failed states, and parts of America were ‘ungoverned spaces’. This was, as an outsider shocking to me, dear Mr. President).
You have in your pre-elections highlighted and brought attention to these. But, Mr. President sir, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Mr. Elon Musk would not suffice entirely to make government and governance accountable and accessible to all Americans. (While Mr. Musk’s very innovative and very intelligent micro-economics approach to industrial (or post-industrial) organization could be a very good starting point for DOGE, but again it is not enough.
Broadly, you must make government not only efficient but also effective in terms of reaching out to ALL Americans and redirecting governance from a ‘mere steering mechanism of governance’ but as an institution that people have access to, can relate to, and one that addresses and resolves their issues and concerns. Fiscal policy, provision of public goods and good, state of the art infrastructure become relevant and pertinent here.
Dear Mr. President Sir, as you will assume office, you will inherit a world and world order in flux and great fluidity. But in the interstices of these lies an opportunity for you: you can, with deft, prudent and far-sighted leadership (surprise and undercut your detractors and enemies sir!), craft a world order that is less war prone, does not merely lead to stability but actual peace (of course in relative terms). Your major challenge is China.
Mr. President Sir do not please place the country in your crosshairs. To be sure, posture and eyeball but don’t go too far. Engage China in a way that is win win for America and China. This talk about norms and upending of these so-called norms by China is just talk and hot air. It may be that China seeks a voice in international relations and world order.
I see no harm in that if there’s no direct threat to the pecking order and hierarchy of interests dexterously and wisely crafted by prudent and far-sighted American strategists. A confrontational approach merely sets the course for a collision between China and the United States - that could morph into a World War. Crafting a delicate, bold and beautiful China Policy by your admin would call for imposing presidential remit and authority on the institutions that go into the forming and reifying American Foreign Policy - the Pentagon, the State Department, the CIA, and the Department of Defence.
Dear Mr. President Sir, impose your authority on these - so that these institutions do not work at cross purposes, nor bandy together to set the agenda for you, or even worse sabotage you.
Your third challenge is the Middle East Sir. I came to know that Mr. Elon Musk has met the Iranian ambassador to the US. This is a great start. Three cross cutting agendas intersect in the Middle East - peace and cessation of violence against the Palestinians, Iran’s legitimate security needs and Israel’s attempts to monopolize deterrence. It is an intersection where territory, statehood for Palestinians, security for Iran and Israel meet.
A curious and challenging mélange, this calls for very delicate diplomacy and statesmanship in a matrix that sates the needs and aspirations of Palestinian people, the security needs of other important states. In this schema, America must NOT be an extension of any state, nor should it be a ’natural antagonist’ of any other state or people. (Indeed, a delicate and a difficult challenge!)
Four, Mr. President Sir, you have Ukraine and Russia staring at you. While I don’t know much about these, I may hazard an opinion. NATO is central to both. It may be imprudent to abrogate or disband NATO. But at the same time NATO’s mission, remit and rationale has over time become moribund and ossified. It needs reform and rejuvenation in a way that does not make it a target for ideological takeover, or an instrument of an aggressive American foreign policy. Re NATO then, let you, sir, impart it sobriety, proportion and gravitas.
Let NATO not be aggressive and expansionist but let it be a normal ‘security provider’ in which the Europeans do not free ride or piggyback on. Posture(again), dear President Sir, Eyeball and even threaten- all to achieve the end of security and peace for all. Insist on Europeans to pay for their security and agree to a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia that is a win win for both.
Dear Mr. President Sir, the foregoing in terms of your agenda is just the tip of the iceberg - the salient and eye-catching bits. There’s more you must, and you need to do. You, dear Sir, took on singlehandedly, the American establishment, entrenched vested interests and their warped ideas, the Democrats who looked down upon you (only a little while back), the media that lampooned and discredited you.
But, dear Sir, you prevailed! You are the quintessential, ‘insurgent outsider’ that America and American people need! You can do it Sir!
God speed to you!
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