Trump’s 100 days: India can expect surprises
Since this is the season of the Indian Premier League, a slapdash analogy is timely: Imagine a batsman during a 20-overs encounter. While the strokes may at times appear scintillating, such an innings is forged with many elements of risk.The innings that is being played out by US President Donald Trump, now at the 100-day mark, is just that – unconventional and haphazard. Commentators haven’t been overly impressed nor purists bowled over.
The easy part came early with a flurry of executive orders for which he fielded few restrictions, other than judicial blocks to efforts at stemming immigrant traffic from seven Muslim nations. The follow-on has been more challenging. Those, though, were largely domestic concerns that do not redound upon the world, unless it’s the case of a government neighbouring the US like Mexico, and increasingly, Canada.
But, whether it’s with the mother of all bombs unloaded along the AfghanistanPakistan border or the strafing of a Syrian airfield, Trump’s recent actions are hitting closer home. New Delhi will pay attention to how this plays out. During his election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was just about the only foreign leader to receive praise from candidate Trump, other than Russian President V ladimir Putin. But a little over three months since Trump occupied the White House, the early calculations haven’t quite added up.
There is the concern over protectionism, that aspect which involves work visas like the coveted H1B and its impact on Indian majors in the IT-services sector and their operations in the US. Coupled with the Trump effect of racist of attacks on IndianAmericans, including one that turned murderous, this initial phase has been one of a phobia that’s causing students and tourists to skirt the States.
Following the original contacts between India and the Trump transition team, there was optimism that a US-Russia rapprochement could wean Moscow away from its growing appetite for things Chinese. Instead, the chill has returned and the Kremlin appears to be reacting to this White House with the same cold shoulder it showed to the Barack Obama Administration. Meanwhile, North Korea’s latest missile-rattling has seen Trump courting China’s President Xi Jinping. From tirades to trading plaudits has been a short hop. All of this is occurring as the United States lacks an ambassador in New Delhi.
The American president has displayed a penchant not just for pivoting but pirouetting, making the task of international interlocutors one that is head-spinning. Trump is essaying an innings that changes course regularly, making it hazardous for those attempting to keep track to predict form. It may well have caused enough head-scratching to create permanent follicular damage.
The Trump presidency so far is one where we are uncertain as to what the boundaries are. The current bilateral arrangement may not be deep sixed, but the predictable volatility of the Trump doctrine may cause many hair-raising days ahead. A positive thought will increase your potential to deserve something noble. Remember we all possess a dual identity, inside and outside. Not only are we physical entities, but at the same time we are spiritual beings too.
Don’t get busy trying to prove yourself. Rather, try to improve yourself regularly with implementation of excellent ideas every day. Till the time you remain trapped by traditional concepts, you will always meet disappointments which may lead to depression. This is the outcome when we follow the common track. Don’t waste your energy continuously trying to prove yourself like a gambler who has come out of the casino after proving himself several times on the table as a loser.
However, successful people are never convinced with this outdated formula. They create a new formula for success every time. If you want success, try to implement new ideas, and this can be attained only through continuous practice. Unless you practise the art of improving silently, you cannot achieve the sublime. Thus, a positive thought implantation is a silent prayer which will change your life. The point is you are rewarded outside only for what you possess inside.