Captain America

Now that Donald Trump has won the US 2016 elections, one hopes that there will be a sea change between the pre-election and post-election Trump. Trump has to shoulder the burden of a super power which will not be an easy task. At present, the US is involved in all the ongoing conflicts of the world. The Afghan war and the eviction of Nato forces will be an uphill task for the new president. Although the Afghan-Taliban peace deal is in the offing, Trump’s handling of the Afghan imbroglio will play a crucial role. As Trump favours Vladimir Putin, there is a chance that the Syrian conflict may die down. The Iran-US nuclear deal will assume a new shape as Trump is not as adept at foreign policy affairs as his predecessor so it will prove a tight walk for him.

Earlier, Trump vowed to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and ban Muslims from entering the US. Naturally, both communities are in a state of panic post his surprise victory. As demarcating boundaries and building walls is his favourite topic, he also pledged to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep illegal entrants at bay. He also wanted to abrogate the erstwhile trade policies. He does not favour Obamacare.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali

*****

In his victory speech, the president-elect, Donald Trump, remarked that he would work in unison with all groups for the betterment of the country. Given his hateful discourse during the election campaign, the recent statement raises doubt. Will Trump actually bring everyone together or is it the rhetoric of political campaign? During his campaign, he aggravated differences among Americans and exposed his extremist views about communities, classes, genders, ethnicity and nations. Therefore, his victory has shocked the entire world and a lot of countries fear that this will create an imbalance in the relations of the US with other countries.

Keeping in mind Trump’s intolerance against the Muslim community, how can the US be expected to show sympathy to the Kashmiris? Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric and inclination towards having business ties with India might put Pakistan in a sensitive position. Pakistani diplomats and policymakers should work out how its relations with the US will now be affected. It is necessary for the country to have a strategy to deal with this quagmire.

Syed Waqar Hussain

Larkana