*Winners:*
*Japan:* Within 48 hours of the polls closing, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has already made plans to meet with Trump next Thursday in New York. Given the stakes, that’s understandable. The US-Japan relationship will probably be all right; Washington needs a strong regional power to counter China in Asia, and Japan is the only one that fits the bill. *The Philippines:* Trump is like Rodrigo Duterte, but with the military power to back up his brash and impulsive rhetoric. Makes Duterte look merely eccentric in comparison. *Russia:* A big honking win. Then again, Russia—the star of the 2016 election—was going to be a winner no matter how the election results turned out. But not even Putin could have expected things to turn out so well. *A**rgentina:* Keeps its head down and keeps chugging along. Of major economies in the world today, foreign policy doesn't really matter for them. In 2016, that’s a blessing. *Canada:* Watch out, Canada—talented Americans coming your way. So is the Keystone Pipeline. *Syria:* Trump means that Russia will have virtually free rein in the country, or what’s left of it. Good news for Assad, who the Russians are propping up, and for “Syria” as we know it today—at the very least it will put an end to the fighting quicker. It’s just not the person you want to see win. Kind of like the US presidential election that way. *Turkey:* Well, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will benefit from a less engaged US administration; the Turkish people won’t. Erdogan’s domestic crackdown on the free press and political opponents will continue, and Trump will probably applaud him for it. *Losers: * *China:* In the long-run, Trump’s election makes China a more attractive (and sane) destination for investment. But in the short-term, it roils world markets and ratchets up geopolitical uncertainty—and China hates instability. *Germany:* Chancellor Angela Merkel said the right things in response to a Trump victory, but she’s got to be terrified that populism has found such traction on both sides of the Atlantic. Germany has federal elections in the fall, and the rabidly anti-immigrant and anti-EU Alternative fur Deutschland looks set to capitalize on the global swell of populism. Merkel still probably wins the chancellorship, but AfD will be a major thorn in her side. *UK:* And here we thought Brexit was going to be the seismic event of 2016. Trump’s victory get’s Britain off the hook from a PR standpoint, but given free trade and defense issues still outstanding, an overall loser from the impending Trump presidency. *France:* Similar to Germany, except Marine Le Pen and her anti-Islam National Front are more entrenched in politics and have had years to polish and refine their political apparatus. Presidential elections are scheduled for this spring. *Brussels: *Big honking loser. No matter the chaos in Europe, Brussels knew it at least had a nominal and predictable partner in Washington. No longer. *Mexico:* Self-explanatory. An even bigger honking loser than Brussels. *Saudi Arabia:* The world the Saudis thought they knew continues to fall apart. And the one thing that made them indispensable—oil—is not what it once was. Oh, and then there’s that fickle Muslim ban. *Iran:* The nuclear deal will still hold in likelihood (Russia helped negotiate it after all), but Iranians will be on the receiving end of much spiteful rhetoric for at least four years. Not helpful when you’re trying to reintegrate yourself into the global community. *USA:* While it’s too soon to tell from a domestic perspective, the US is clearly a loser on the international stage. American global leadership/”Pax Americana” was already waning, but if they elected the right series of presidents, Washington could help write the next chapter of world history. Now the Americans have a lot smaller say in what comes next. Strongly disagree with this and the above pretty much refutes it in that leaders are lining up to feel Trump up. -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
