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US imperialism will get worse under Trump
In a statement, LIBERATION sounds the alarm on the returning president, whose agenda on Cuba, Iran and, above all, rabid support for Israel’s radical right are a huge concern
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European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde sees Trump’s many disruptions as an opportunity to challenge the dollar’s ‘exorbitant privilege’ — but greater Euro assertiveness will also mean greater warmongering and militarism, warns NICK WRIGHT
KEITH BARLOW examines the 1975 referendum that saw Britain vote to stay in the EEC, revealing how Tony Benn understood that EU free-market principles and capital movement rules would tie the hands of any government putting people’s interests before corporate profits
THE election of a new president in the US is always a moment of international significance, given the role the US plays on the world stage.
The presidential election of 2024 has been described as “the most consequential in a generation,” and there is no doubt that the re-election of Donald Trump will have profound international repercussions.
In relation to the ongoing Israeli action in the Middle East, in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran, Trump has made clear his unswerving support for Benjamin Netanyahu and the ongoing incursions by the IDF, resulting in thousands of deaths over the past year. Trump’s election victory was greeted enthusiastically by Netanyahu and his supporters in Tel Aviv.
In his first term as president, Trump tore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in relation to Iran, which constrained Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for a relaxation of sanctions. Given Trump’s belligerent tone towards Iran, allied with his support for Israel, there is a clear danger of escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
In relation to Ukraine, Trump has been more ambivalent, but the strategic objectives of the US and Nato in encircling Russia in order to contain its influence and potential expansion remain real. However, if any settlement regarding Ukraine is arrived at in the short term, this wider objective will remain.
In the Indo-Pacific, the military built up to counter the so-called “threat” of China continues, with ongoing economic and military support for Taiwan being key, along with the threat to peace in the region posed by the Aukus alliance of the US, UK and Australia.
Any moves towards rapprochement with Cuba, mild as they were under the Obama administration, were ditched during Trump’s first term, and Cuba was added to the US state sponsors of terrorism list.
To the shame of the Biden administration, this position was not reversed, and the ongoing illegal blockade against Cuba, imposed by the US, is likely to continue under a new Trump presidency.
The ongoing campaign to undermine progress in Venezuela, a long-running effort to install a US-friendly regime in that country, is unlikely to change under Trump, while a clampdown upon migration from Latin America, in general, will reinforce the jingoism which has been a hallmark of Trump’s policies.
For Liberation, the campaign for peace, democracy and social justice in the face of the threat of US imperialism will continue. We call upon the British government to use its influence to curb the potential excesses of the new presidency and ensure that peace is always a priority in international relations.
Liberation is an internationalist human rights organisation founded in 1954 as the Movement for Colonial Freedom — Liberationorg.co.uk.
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