Roughly 245 million people across 40 states, stretching all the way from New Mexico and Texas to parts of New England and the South, are affected by what has been a historic storm.

Dangerously cold conditions with the coldest wind chills started to impact most parts of the U.S. since Friday and will be in effect till early days of the week.

In New York City, the snow is about 20 inches and at least five people were found dead on Saturday.

Impacts from the snow and ice are expected to cause power outages, widespread travel shutdowns and school closures.

The winter storm has left at least 15 people dead as at Sunday afternoon with more than a million people without power and resulted in the cancellation of more than 15,000 flights.

Reports say flight cancellations on Sunday marked the highest single-day total in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

At least 24 states have issued emergency disaster declarations ahead of the winter storm, including New York, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.

Others are Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

“In the wake of the storm, communities from the southern Plains to the Northeast will contend with bitterly cold temperatures that will hamper cleanup efforts, prolonging infrastructure impacts and hazardous travel into, at least, early next week,” NWS said.

President Donald Trump has urged Americans to “stay safe and stay warm” as the historic winter storm pummeled the country.

“I’ve been briefed on the Record Cold Wave and Historic Winter Storm that will be hitting much of the United States this weekend.

“The Trump administration is coordinating with State and local officials. FEMA is fully prepared to respond. Stay Safe and Stay Warm.”

New York said it has taken necessary steps to ensure those experiencing homelessness have access to shelter and that shelter hours are extended.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York has activated about 100 National Guard members in downstate areas ahead of the storm and is positioning crews statewide for plowing and emergency response.

“We are anticipating the longest cold stretch and the highest snow totals the state has seen in several years,” Hochul said on Sunday.

New York announced closure of schools, museums and libraries across the State on Sunday and on Monday as the winter storm hit the region.

Connecticut Governor, Ned Lamont, said a statewide ban on commercial vehicles, including trucks, tractor trailers, tankers and vehicles towing trailers, is now in effect on state roads until further notice.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey warned residents to stay off the roads as the storm intensifies.

“This is not a storm to be out in,” Healey said adding that the snow could last well into Monday, with up to 20 inches falling over the following 36 hours.

Many states have announced that Monday will be a work-from-home day for nonessential state employees and have also activated a “Code Blue”.

Under state regulation, a Code Blue is automatically in effect whenever the temperature and wind chill equal less than 32 degrees.

Source: NAN

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The post Heavy snow in US, 15 people dead appeared first on Frontpageng.

As to the question of what’s in a name, we must now answer, a lot! There is plenty in a name! Google says what’s in a name “means a name itself is not important, and the essence or true nature of something is more significant than what it is called; essentially, a label doesn’t define the thing itself. This phrase is commonly used to suggest that a name is just a convention and what matters is the substance behind it”. In other words, “what something is called can never fully capture the full meaning of what that something is”.

What’s in a name originated from William Shakespeare’s tragic play “Romeo and Juliet” where Juliet argued that the Montague family name, which was the source of conflict, was irrelevant compared to her lover, Romeo’s character. Juliet and everyone else were to find out later, and to their chagrin, that there was, really, something to a name!

To “trump” something means “to outdo, surpass, or get the better of that something”. To “trump” also means “to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way”. Does that fit into what President Donald Trump was, has been, is and promises to still be all the way? If you still think there is nothing to a name, ask the governor of Ondo State, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa!

As President Trump trumps everything and everyone in sight, I began to ask myself whether the US is still the democracy it is touted to be. This is, perhaps, the world’s longest-running modern democracy; a people that fought a war of Independence and made their hair-splitting “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” declaration in 1776 in a speech that has never stopped rousing the patriotic zeal and nationalistic fervour of peoples of all colour, in every clime, and through the ages!

Tell me, is the United States still a democracy – with one man, wielding a pen and hauling Executive Order as nuclear bombs right, left, and centre, re-writing history, shredding hallowed tenets, wilfully and whimsically redrawing borders, threatening to eliminate ancient landmarks, and holding everyone spell-bound? Where are America’s famed “strong institutions”? Where is its all-powerful Congress? What’s happened to the theory of separation of powers upheld so loftily by America? Where are the American people themselves, famous for defending their own freedoms and liberties?

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Many are already comparing Trump with Adolf Hitler. Demagogues usually start by commanding popular appeal. Hitler dismantled German democracy and imposed his demagoguery and dictatorship through the ballot box and not by making a coup or revolution. The people at first support and hail but by the time they have seen enough to want to pull back from the edge of the abyss, it would have become too late to act.

Some other commentators have likened Trump to the USSR’s Mikhail Gorbachev whose goal was to make the Soviet Union great but his twin policies of “glasnot” and “perestroika” ended up achieving the very opposite of what he intended. Trump seeks to Make America Great Again but will he, like Gorbachev, end up achieving its direct opposite? If he cares to listen he would hear warnings that many of his policies are like a two-edged sword: as he cuts his intended adversaries, so also does he cut himself. You hit them; they hit you back. And because he fights on multiple war fronts at one and the same time, like Hitler perilously did, he forgets the lessons of history. Is he not making the same mistakes that led to Hitler’s downfall?

German philosopher, Georg Hegel, says: “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history” Says George Santayana: “Those who fail to learn from history are often condemned to repeating its mistakes”. On his own, Karl Marx says “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce” Tragedy or farce – which one do you think is trending with President Trump? Or is it both?

President Trump is fighting on more than two fronts. He is fighting both internal and external “enemies”. He is up in arms against millions of alleged illegal immigrants in his own country; in the process, he runs the risk of disrupting the smooth running of goods and services that will imperil many businesses and hike the cost of living for American citizens. He is threatening to seize countries, territories, and canals, some of which had existed ever before the birth of the US itself! Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palestine (Gaza) are on his radar. He is pulling the US out of international treaties, obligations, and organisations thereby endangering global peace and security.

One man is imposing policies and making decisions whose debilitating and deleterious consequences will be difficult to reverse or repair years, even decades, after he has left office. He has only four years to spend in the White House. The few days he has been there already looks like eternity!

As we speak, the humanism of the United States stands threadbare – stripped by Trump’s pen! But in every disappointment, they say, there is a blessing. The revelations coming out of Trump’s scrapping of USAID may be one of such for Nigeria.

President Trump does things that will be considered unthinkable even in some of the countries he arrogantly and derisively called shitholes. He wears vengeance and vendetta like a badge of honour; he sacks with relish those he branded as personal enemies, and hands over the country to the financiers of his electoral victory, not under the table but in the full glare of all. The things President Trump shoves down the throat of everyone – Americans and foreigners alike – baffle me. But will he get away with all of this?

Gains of centuries of struggle for a better America – and a safer world – have been wiped away with just a stroke of his pen, throwing the World Health Organization, UNICEF, USAID, the International Criminal Court and lots of other multilateral agencies into grief. He is opposed to the promotion of a safer environment for all. He has given notice he would exit arms treaties with Russia that have helped to stave off the prospects of a nuclear holocaust.

As we speak, the humanism of the United States stands threadbare – stripped by Trump’s pen! But in every disappointment, they say, there is a blessing. The revelations coming out of Trump’s scrapping of USAID may be one of such for Nigeria.

Trump, the son of immigrants, is not just trumping everything; he is trampling them as well! To “trample” means “to tread on and crush; to treat with contempt”. That’s exactly what President Trump is doing right now to American citizens; some of whom, ironically, elected him as president. Hundreds of Nigerians have been deported on his orders. That is what he is also doing to alleged illegal immigrants. He has declared “war” on China, Canada, Panama, and Mexico.

The other day I watched the Canadian leader, Justin Tradeau, almost in tears as he roused his citizens to rise up as one man to the Trump challenge. Trump’s threats alone are said to have already started “affecting business and household confidence” in Canada and Mexico. Little Panama, bracing up to suffer what it must, tries feverishly to reach accommodation with Trump over the Panama canal. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered retaliatory tariffs in response to any from Trump. Ordinary Americans, now stirring, are hitting the street with strindent anti-Trump rhetorics. China has announced its own retaliatory tariffs on US goods.

Isaac Newton’s third law of motion says action and reaction are equal and opposite. So we must expect reactions from everyone President Trump tramples. He has said even Europe and the United States’ NATO allies will not be spared.

In a sense, there is a way Trump’s bull in a China shop may help to offload many of those who, customarily and for decades, rode on the back of the United States; now, they will be compelled to become more circumspect, be more responsible, be more responsive, and be more alive to their responsibilities. I hope Nigerians will be one such people. But if this does not teach Third World countries especially to look inward and become more self-reliant, nothing else will!

Now is the saying, there is no such thing as a free lunch, come alive practically before our very eyes!

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

The post As Trump trumps everything in sight…, By Bola Bolawole appeared first on Frontpageng.

If there is one president that is set to impact world politics for the better and also possibly for bad in the next few years, Donald Trump would clinch the top spot. And make no mistake about it, by the end of his second term in 2029, if eventually he decides not to pursue a third term ticket (he has already joked about it), America and nay, world politics would never be the same.

Trump’s return to power after a four-year hiatus has seen him firing on all cylinders. Even at 78, age has not showed any sign of slowing him down. He is also out with a vengeance against those whom he perceives as enemies who facilitated his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden.

Trump is the first convicted felon in America’s history to occupy the White House, having been found guilty of 34 counts of felony in the Stormy Daniel, hush money, record-falsification case. But that does not bother him as he has told his supporters that he is the most prosecuted president in history. His sentencing was put off after he became president-elect. Over 77 million Americans believe in him and cast their votes for him in the last elections.

From his first day in office, Trump showed that he meant business about making ‘America GREAT again.’ However, with the ways he is going about it, it is in doubt whether America would be as great as he has promised or it would be brought to its knees in the next couple of years.

The 47th president of the United States of America is a dealer in government, no, cancel that, he is a bully in the White House. It appears that there is no president or prime minister that would not be ‘bullied’ for the ‘benefit’ of Americans. There is no institution that cannot be downgraded so far as President Trump does not believe in what they stand for.

He has signed dozens of executive orders freezing all foreign assistance, removing illegal immigrants from the United States, firing civil servants, and asking Elon Musk to “cut the fat out of the unnecessary bureaucracy and trim the federal departments.”

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He is banning automatic citizenship of children born in the States by illegal immigrants, he has recognised only two genders – male and female, withdrawn the USA from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and has stopped the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) from communicating with the WHO.

He has also withdrawn America from the UNESCO and from the Climate Change Convention. Mercifully, he has not withdrawn yet from the UN and its specialized organizations and NATO. Although, some of these actions requires legislative support, and some, constitutional amendments, Trump does not care. One of such is the birth-right issue. Any child born in the United States of America automatically becomes an American citizen. It is so recognised by the constitution of the United States. To change the law would require two-third majority of the states in the US to effect it. But Trump wants an end to the policy. Already, a federal judge has blocked the order – albeit, temporarily.

He has bullied the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, into negotiating how they intend to stop illegal migrants from getting into the United States as well as the curtailment of illegal drugs shipments into the USA. His desire is to make Canada the 51th States of the USA and he does not care if his action and utterances is against international laws and conventions. Trump has unilaterally changed the Gulf of Mexico into the ‘Gulf of America’. He has set his sights on Greenland, an Arctic Island under the control of Denmark as well as The Panama Canal, a critical waterway in world trade. Trump is interested in the Canal as he believes that China has surreptitiously taken over control of the area.

Before he was sworn-in, Trump vowed to send illegal migrants back to their respective countries. From his first day in office, he has done just that. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has fulfilled that key campaign promise of Trump in his first week in power by removing 7,300 illegal immigrants from the United States. The move is part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and a direct response to President Donald Trump’s vow to increase deportations, especially targeting violent criminals in the country. Many of those deported were in handcuffs and ferried back to their countries in military aircrafts.

Columbia and Guatemala initially rejected the poor treatment of her citizens but after being threatened and bullied with economic sanctions, both nations had to relent. Indeed, a trade war could have had crippling consequences for Colombia, which counts the United States as its largest trading partner. That is largely due to a 2006 free trade agreement that generated $33.8 billion in two-way trade in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The use of U.S. military aircraft to carry out deportation flights is part of the Pentagon’s response to Trump’s national emergency declaration on immigration. The Pentagon had said that it would provide flights for the deportations of more than 5,000 immigrants held by U.S. authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.

His controversial plan to move Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt and for the USA to take over Gaza has been condemned, with many Palestinians vowing not to leave their ancestral homes.

Hear him: “Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent. The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area…” Trump said, without explaining why they could not let Gazans rebuild Gaza.

Expectedly, Trump’s stunning realty-centric proposal was immediately rejected by Arab countries, including America’s ally, Saudi Arabia, which issued a statement affirming that its position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering.

Some aides of Trump have suggested that the US President was merely grandstanding and his remarks were aimed at galvanizing other Arab states to come up with solutions rather than leave Palestinians in the lurch. “It’s going to bring the entire region to come with their own solutions,” Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said in one TV interview.

Many world leaders are still in shock by his audacious proposal. Where he gets such a power is still not clear to many. Indeed, Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was really angry when he said that Donald Trump was elected to govern the United States, and not “to rule the world.”

“I respect the election of President Trump, who was elected by the American people to govern the United States, but he was not elected to rule the world. The U.S. president has to maintain democratic and civilised relations with the rest of the world,” Lula noted, with reference to Trump’s intention to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

As for those of us in Nigeria, having enjoyed the movie ‘Coming To America’ and with most having literally lived the American dream, the rest of us should simply get our popcorn ready to watch the ongoing season film, ‘Coming from America’.

On the home front and using Elon Musk, Trump has reinstated service members dismissed for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine; stopped the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI, programmes across federal government establishments, paused federal grants and loans, tried to entice millions of federal workers to resign in a bid to drastically reduce the size of the federal work force, and to push out people who do not support his political agenda. In return, the administration offered roughly two million federal workers the option to resign but be paid through the end of September.

Aside granting pardon to the January 6 rioters in the US, he has ordered the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to compile a list of all agents and FBI staff who worked on the January 6 investigations. He has shut down USAID office across the globe and put Marco Rubio in charge. Now, there are talks that he would allow less than 10 per cent of USAID workforce back to their jobs.

In Africa, Trump has falsely accused the South African government of “confiscating land” from white farmers. But President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country has not seized land and urged Trump to mind his business. “We won’t be bullied by Trump,” he said. Without any consultation, Trump ordered air strikes against the Islamic State in Somalia.

Coming home to Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has been advised to get a long spoon while eating on the same table with Trump. Bolaji Akinyemi, former external Affairs Minister, said that Tinubu must learn to avoid getting into trouble with Trump. Already, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and NIDCOM are making preparations on how to receive Nigerians who may be deported back to the country by Trump.

Americans voted for Trump and he is acting on what he promised during his campaign. Although prices of foodstuffs have been on the increase since the clampdown on illegal migrants began as many farm workers are being repatriated, Americans should be ready to endure the necessary pains.

His conduct when it comes to international politics is where he may have his fingers burnt. You don’t become a bully at international fora, no matter your military might. Trump might think that he is just doing deals to better the lot of the American citizens, but it should be clear to him that the correct terms for what he is doing are coercion and extortion. He is a bully both in the USA and in the international arena. He should be reminded however that there are known bullies in world history and the end of some of them wasn’t that palatable.

As for those of us in Nigeria, having enjoyed the movie ‘Coming To America’ and with most having literally lived the American dream, the rest of us should simply get our popcorn ready to watch the ongoing season film, ‘Coming from America’.

See you next week.

The post The bully at the White House, By Kazeem Akintunde appeared first on Frontpageng.

What is soft is strong –Lao Tzu   

If there was any doubt that the return of Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America would usher in another round of chaos in the international arena, unsettling allies and international institutions, provoking foes and neutrals, throwing up in the air laws, norms, and conventions that had been largely considered settled in international relations, that was gone within 24 hours of his inauguration as President. That would be affirmed by his words and actions over the past weekend in dealing with Colombia and sealed within the week with his confirmation that he would be slamming a 25% tariff on goods from America’s immediate neighbours and leading trade partners, Canada and Mexico, effective February 1st.

Unlike the first coming of President Trump, which largely caught the world by surprise, especially on the extent he was willing to trigger a drift away from the principles undergirding American foreign policy and an international order fashioned after its worldview, there ought not to be much of a surprise with Trump 2.0. If anything, it will deliver on what was promised and even much more, as the world appears incapacitated in containing an ideology whose objective is to upend much of what the world has taken for granted as principles governing international relations. While Trumpism is defined more by its right-wing populism, conservatism and nationalism on the domestic front, it is an ideology that has at its core an isolationist and unilateralist approach to world affairs founded on the idea of American exceptionalism, reinforced by authoritarian tendency.

While some might consider Trumpism anachronistic in light of the shift in nature of the global political economy, which has led to a more complex and interdependent world with a multidimensional power configuration, President Trump’s worldview appears to have been framed by the darker interpretation of Nicolo Machiavelli’s advice to “The Prince” that, “it is better to be feared than to be loved if one cannot be both”.  His politics and policy thrust appear to be driven more by the need to instil fear rather than be loved. Unmindful of power diffusion (horizontal and vertical) in the international system, and the transition from unipolarity to non-polarity, Trump sees the world as one in which America is the undisputed hegemon, whose word must be taken as law and not questioned, even if it stands in defiance of international law, norms, decency and logic.

That can be the only possible explanation for the decision by President Trump to start his second run by instigating trade wars with Canada and Mexico, America’s immediate neighbours whom he has generously hurled insults at, over the years. He has consistently accused them of being ‘’bad trade partners” who have not treated America right. His decision to levy blanket tariffs of 25 per cent on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico has now gone into effect.

Finally, Canada is beginning to realise what Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister of the country and Father of the current Prime Minister, saw in 1969, when he said of the relations with the US, “Living next to you, is in some ways, like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”  The twitch and grunt by Trump eventually pushed Trudeau Jr. over the cliff, forcing him to step down from the leadership of his ruling Liberal party and the country, even if he had been under pressure to do so for a while.

It is not as if there is no history to the trade battle between the US and Canada. There is a long list of grievances that had been held out by the US, especially concerning access to Canadian markets for all kinds of goods and services for many years. Trump is, however, not just about trade but border security. On trade, he is particularly irritated by Canada’s protectionist cover for its dairy, egg and poultry industries. But contrary to the complaint by President Trump that the “unfair” trade deficit with Canada is between $200 billion and $250 billion, the actual figure is not that huge, put at $ 61 billion for 2023, with US imports from Canada being $ 419 Billion and exports at $354 billion, with analysts say that much of the deficit was “caused by the U.S. importing Canadian oil, which keeps costs at the pump down for Americans.”

The case is similar to that of Mexico, America’s largest trading partner, with imports of $475 billion worth of goods for 2023 and exports of $323 billion. Beyond trade are the issues of immigration and border security which were at the core of his campaign with President Trump criticising the country for not doing enough to stop the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.

The tariffs on Mexican products are expected to lead to a rise in prices of SUVs and pickup trucks for consumers of major U.S. automakers with plants in Mexico, as well as electric machinery and a wide range of parts and equipment, and agricultural products and commodities like sugar, flour, meat and fresh fruit and vegetables, that does not happen to bother President Trump. Imports from Canada include crude oil, vehicles, petroleum gases; processed petroleum oils, and automobile parts and accessories. President Trump however made it clear, speaking recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he doesn’t “need Canadian cars, lumber or oil”.

The dispute with Canada and Mexico does not appear to take into consideration the existence of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which was signed by President Trump on January 29, 2020, as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and aimed to modernize trade relations between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. While some of Trump’s aides argue that tariffs are either being used as a “negotiating tool” or a “means of raising taxes on foreigners to pay for retaining low tax rates on Americans”, there is enough to suggest, from what we have seen, that there is more to it than that. Stephen Miran, a previous senior Trump adviser who has been nominated to chair his Council of Economic Advisers, in a paper touted to serve as a blueprint for Trump 2.0 anchors a proposal to reform the global trading system on the proviso “that access to the U.S. consumer market is a privilege that must be earned, not a right.”

Smart countries are adopting more of charm than intimidation in their foreign policy toolbox. As captured in a placard by one Australian Senator, “…if you respect the world’s laws, the world will respect you.”

How that idea will sit side by side with the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed at promoting fair competition, reducing trade barriers, and facilitating smooth and predictable international commerce is yet to be seen. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called for dialogue and restraint among members in response to the Trump phenomenon. Drawing parallels to the 1930s Smoot-Hawley Act, Okonjo-Iweala warns that retaliatory trade wars could have catastrophic consequences for global growth.

Trumpism, with unilateralism at its core, obviously sees things differently.  Giulio Gallarotti argues that unilateralism “can be especially debilitating, because in an interdependent and globalized world, unilateral solutions to international problems are often inferior to collective solutions”. He submits that “…forsaking erstwhile allies and international commitments in favour of unilateral solutions produces a maverick image that compromises traditional sources of power embedded in multilateral support networks. Without such networks, even preponderant national resources will fall short of the effectiveness of multilateral solutions in attending to foreign objectives, thus creating an unsupportable burden for the maverick nation.”

But this is a moment of triumphalism for Trumpism. It is riding high on the belief that its ideology and policies Trump are superior and will ultimately prevail. That comes with a mindset that manifests in a lack of humility and a heightened sense of pride and confidence in the agenda that has been adopted, with the tendency to be dismissive of other viewpoints, making dialogue and compromise unwelcome.

Whether in arbitrarily renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America”, or expressing a renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, and even suggesting the possibility of using military force, if necessary, it is President Trump, playing being deliberately and unapologetically provocative, playing from the old notebook. Whether in announcing the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), an organisation for which it contributes about 18% of its overall funding, or in announcing a 90-day freeze on almost all U.S. foreign aid, it is on account of the same worldview, which sees everything as transactional. “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump says. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health at Georgetown University, says, “This is the darkest day for global health I have ever experienced…Trump could be sowing the seeds for the next pandemic”. Well, how this might undermine the state of health across the globe, and even “leave the U.S. more vulnerable to health threats”, is secondary, if it is any consideration.

Whether in threatening to retake the Panama Canal, alleging unfair treatment of American ships, and Chinese influence there, threatening Colombia with tariffs and visa sanctions for initially refusing to accept deportation flights from the United States with military planes, or issuing threats to impose 100% tariffs on exports from BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), to the United States if they attempt to replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in international trade, it is all about an impetuousness couched as a common-sense. The objective of President Trump is to instil fear, which he sees as the only means through which he and America can earn respect. The “victory” in the standoff with Colombia, was celebrated by the ‘White House’ as evidence that the US is “respected again”.

It is a philosophy that refuses to accept the fact that in an increasingly interdependent world in which what happens in one part of the globe can have a reverberating effect in another part in only a short while, it is antithetical to the preservation of self-interest to adopt a unilateralist and belligerent posture, no matter how powerful such a nation might assume itself to be.

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It is a statement to the interconnected nature of the current international system that while the ‘White House’ was patting itself on the back over the spat with Colombia that the US is being “respected again”, the country was jolted by DeepSeek, a ‘Chinese’ Start-up that ‘no-one’ had heard of only a few days before then with its release of an AI model, DeepSeek-R1, which challenged the dominance of U.S. tech giants like Google and OpenAI with its cost efficiency, deploying fewer and less advanced chips,  spending less than $6 million in comparison with the multi-billion dollar budgets by American Tech giants, thus triggering a fall in the NASDAQ index by 3%, losing 612 points in a day, with Nvidia taking a massive hit, dropping by 17% with a reduction in market value by $589 billion, being the largest single-day loss for any company in stock market history.

This development, described as an “AI Sputnik moment,” has cast a huge doubt on the whole A1 ecosystem, which the US had assumed itself to be in the lead, prompting US policymakers to reconsider their strategies and investments in AI to maintain competitiveness, with President Trump describing it as “…a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing”. To House Speaker, Mike Johnson DeepSeek is “a serious threat” from China, which is a “terrible trading partner.” “They abuse the system. They steal our intellectual property. They’re now trying to get a leg up on us on AI, as you’ve seen the last day or so… It’s a serious threat to us and to our economy and our security in every way.” It would emerge within the week that there are several other Chinese AI start-ups, apart from DeepSeek that are either at par or even working on more powerful models in some areas, confirming that China is making significant strides in AI.

If there was any evidence that there are other dimensions to earn respect other than by issuing threats and slamming tariffs on those who we disagree with, that was it. As Joseph Nye Jr. explains, “…in a world where borders are becoming more porous than ever to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to terrorism, nations must mobilize international coalitions and build institutions to address shared threats and challenges. In this sense, power becomes a positive-sum game. It is not enough to think in terms of power over others. We must also think in terms of power to accomplish goals that involves power with others. On many transnational issues, empowering others can help us to accomplish our own goals. In this world, networks and connectedness become an important source of relevant power”.

Smart countries are adopting more of charm than intimidation in their foreign policy toolbox. As captured in a placard by one Australian Senator, “…if you respect the world’s laws, the world will respect you.” At this time, our interconnectedness as a people is beyond dispute, with greater ease of communication and travel making it easier for diseases to move from one extreme part of the world to another, within hours. We live at a time when the multidimensional nature of international relations is now more obvious, with non-state actors (Elon Musk?) wielding as much influence, if not more, and even power, as state actors. The world had been flattened by the internet. No country can do it by itself, no matter how large or powerful it is. So much for Trumpism and its triumphalism.

*Simbo Olorunfemi, a specialist on Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and Managing Editor of Africa Enterprise, works for Hoofbeatdotcom, a Nigerian communications consultancy. Email: Editor@enterpriseafrica.ng

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Trump said the US would impose tariffs beginning on Tuesday of 25% on Canada and Mexico, and 10% on China.

Canadian energy faces a lower 10% tariff.

He had threatened to impose the import taxes if the three countries did not address his concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Both Canada and Mexico said they are preparing retaliatory tariffs of their own.

Trump has indicated he is ready to escalate the duties if the countries retaliate.

Together, China, Mexico and Canada accounted for more than 40% of imports into the US last year.

“Today’s tariff announcement is necessary to hold China, Mexico, and Canada accountable for their promises to halt the flood of poisonous drugs into the United States,” the White House said in a statement on X on Saturday.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl.”

A tariff is a domestic tax levied on goods as they enter the country, proportional to the value of the import. They are a central part of Trump’s economic vision.

He sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue – and in this case, pushing for policy action from allies.

In her response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called allegations that the Mexican government had alliances with criminal organisations “slander”.

The White House, in its announcement, accused Mexico’s government of having “an intolerable alliance” with Mexican drug trafficking organisations.

In a statement, Sheinbaum called on the US to do more to clamp down on the illegal flow of guns south to arm the cartels.

Her country is willing to work with the US, she said. “Problems are not resolved by imposing tariffs, but by talking.”

She has instructed her economy minister to respond with tariff and non-tariff measures.

They are expected to include retaliatory tariffs of 25% on US goods.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will also respond.

“We don’t want to be here, we didn’t ask for this,” he said in a news conference late on Saturday.

“But we will not back down in standing up for Canadians.”

His government will impose 25% tariffs on $155bn worth of American goods – $30bn will come into force on Tuesday and another $125bn in 21 days.

Targeted items include American beer, wine, bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, vegetables, perfumes, clothing and shoes, as well as household appliances, sporting goods and furniture. Lumber and plastics will also face levies.

Non-tariff measures being considered are related to critical minerals and procurement, although Trudeau did not offer more detail.

The prime minister pushed back on the suggestion the shared border posed a security concern, saying less than 1% of fentanyl going into the United States comes from Canada.

In a bid to avoid the tariffs altogether, Ottawa had promised to implement C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) of new security measures along its US border.

“Tariffs are not the best way we can work together to save lives,” Trudeau said.

He also said he had not spoken to Trump since the inauguration, but would keep lines open with US counterparts.

China said in a statement that it is strongly dissatisfied with the levies and “firmly opposes” them.

It added that it would file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the US for its “wrongful practice” and would take countermeasures to “safeguard its own rights and interests”.

China’s vice-premier Ding Xuexiang told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month that his country was looking for a “win-win” solution to trade tensions and wanted to expand its imports.

READ ALSO: Naira ends week stronger against Dollar, gaining N11.17

Canada, Mexico and the US have deeply integrated economies, with an estimated $2bn (£1.6bn) worth of manufactured goods crossing the borders daily.

Economists say the tariffs and subsequent retaliation could raise prices on a wide range of products, from cars, lumber, and steel to food like frozen French fries, avocados, and tomatoes, to alcohol.

The auto sector could be especially hard hit.

Auto parts cross the three borders multiple times before a final vehicle is assembled.

TD Economics suggest the average US car price could increase by around $3,000.

A January report by the Peterson Institute for International Economics suggested blanket 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico would slow growth and accelerate inflation in all three countries.

On Friday, Trump acknowledged there could be “some temporary, short-term disruption” from the tariffs.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a statement saying tariffs will have “immediate and direct consequences on Canadian and American livelihoods” and will “drastically increase the cost of everything for everyone”.

US industry groups have also raised alarm bells.

The National Homebuilders Association said the levies could increase housing costs.

The Farmers for Free Trade said, with many US farmers already struggling, “adding tariffs to the mix would only exacerbate the situation across much of rural America”.

The US Retail Industry Leaders Association, which includes big names such as Home Depot, Target and Walgreens among its more than 200 members, expressed hope tariffs could still be averted.

The White House, explaining on Saturday why it was targeting its top trading partners, said Mexican cartels were responsible for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs.

It said tariffs on Canada would remain until it “co-operates with the US against drug traffickers and on border security”.

Lastly, it said “China plays the central role in the fentanyl crisis” with exports of the lethal synthetic painkiller.

Both the northern and southern US borders have reported drug seizures, though amounts at the border with Canada are considerably lower than those with Mexico, according to official data.

US border agents seized 43lbs (19.5kg) of fentanyl at the northern border between October 2023 and last September, compared to more than 21,000lbs (9,525.4kg) at the southern border.

Still, recent reports from Canadian intelligence agencies suggest a growing number of transnational organised crime groups are manufacturing drugs in Canada.

Ashley Davis, a Republican lobbyist for businesses, who represents major US companies, including Walmart and Boeing, and has been involved in discussions about tariffs, told the BBC’s World Business Report she thinks Trump will pull back on the tariffs in North America if he can point to progress on the issues he has raised as complaints – especially immigration.

“You have to remember – the border and China are the two biggest issues that Americans voted him on in the elections in November. Anything he can do to claim wins on that, I think he’s going to do,” she said.

Source: BBC

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But Trump said on Friday that Canadian oil would be hit with lower tariffs of 10%, which could take effect later, on 18 February.

The president also said he planned to impose tariffs on the European Union in the future, saying the bloc had not treated the US well.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Canada and Mexico duties were in response to “the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed tens of millions of Americans”.

Trump has also repeatedly said the move was to address the large amounts of undocumented migrants that have come across US borders as well as trade deficits with its neighbours.

Ms Leavitt told a news briefing at the White House on Friday: “These are promises made and promises kept by the President.”

READ ALSO: Understanding Trump’s economic policy implication on global economy

During the election campaign, Trump threatened to hit Chinese-made products with tariffs of up to 60%, but held off on any immediate action on his first day back in the White House, instead ordering his administration to study the issue.

US goods imports from China have flattened since 2018, a statistic that economists have attributed in part to a series of escalating tariffs that Trump imposed during his first term.

Earlier this month, a top Chinese official warned against protectionism as Trump’s return to the presidency renews the threat of a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies – but did not mention the US by name.

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Ding Xuexiang, Vice Premier of China, said his country was looking for a “win-win” solution to trade tensions and wanted to expand its imports.

China, Canada and Mexico are the top US trading partners, accounting for 40% of the goods imported into the US last year, and fears are rising that the new steep levies could kick off a major trade war as well as push up prices in the US.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday: “It’s not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act.”

Canada and Mexico have already said that they would respond to US tariffs with measures of their own, while also seeking to assure Washington that they were taking action to address concerns about their US borders.

The BBC has reached out to the Chinese embassy in the US for comment.

If US imports of oil from Canada and Mexico are hit with levies it risks undermining Trump’s promise to bring down the cost of living.

Tariffs are an import tax on goods that are produced abroad.

In theory, taxing items coming into a country means people are less likely to buy them as they become more expensive.

The intention is that they buy cheaper local products instead – boosting a country’s economy.

But the cost of tariffs on imported energy could be passed on to businesses and consumers, which may increase the prices of everything from petrol to groceries.

Around 40% of the crude that runs through US oil refineries is imported, and the vast majority of it comes from Canada.

On Friday, Trump agreed tariff costs are sometimes passed along to consumers and that his plans may cause disruption in the short-term.

Mark Carney, the former head of Canada’s and England’s central banks, told BBC Newsnight on Friday that the tariffs will hit economic growth and drive up inflation.

“They’re going to damage the US’s reputation around the world,” said Carney, who is also in the running to replace Prime Minister Trudeau as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party.

Source: BBC

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Speaking at the White House while signing various orders shortly after his inauguration, Trump said, “We’re thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada, because they’re allowing vast number of people… to come in.”

“I think we’ll do it Feb. 1,” Trump added, referring to the potential start date for the tariffs.

Earlier on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump did not intend to impose tariffs on trading partners like Canada, Mexico and China.

Instead, he planned to instruct the authorities to assess trade relations with China and its neighbours on the North American continent, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a summary of a planned memorandum and Trump’s advisers.

READ ALSO: Lone accident claims five lives on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Shortly after winning the election in November, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.

There are also fears in the EU that Trump could impose new tariffs.

Tariffs are a type of surcharge on imported goods.

They are paid as goods enter the country.

Trump imposed a range of tariffs on imported goods during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021.

Source: dpa/NAN

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America’s President-elect, Donald Trump, would be sworn-in as the 47th President of the United States of America next week Monday. The event, which will take place on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., would be Trump’s second inauguration as President and the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration. However, even before his taking the oath of office for the second time, the entire world is already on edge.

He has sent shivers down the spine of many in Canada, Mexico, and even Panama, by his pronouncement. The Cable News Network (CNN) has already tagged him a presidential landgrabber. This is due to his desire to see Canada become a part of the USA. According to him, it would be better for Canada to become the 51st American State in the interest of both countries. And if they are not willing to dance to his tune, he has vowed to use economic force to achieve his aim. Doing so, he believes, would get rid of the artificially ‘drawn line’, and it would guarantee a better national security for the US.

Their refusal, he said, would be met with economic sanctions, one of which would be the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on goods from Canada going into the US market. It is a known fact that such a tariff would significantly hurt Canada’s economy. But Trump does not care.

Almost C$3.6bn ($2.5bn) worth of goods and services crossed the border daily since 2023, according to the Canadian government figures. Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, who is facing a lot of heat at home has offered to resign, hit back at Trump, saying there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of the two countries becoming one.

Trump, with his America-first rhetoric, has left many Canadians seething with rage. If they could have their way, many are battle-ready for the insult. But when does Trump care about other people’s feelings? He believes that Canada becoming an appendage of the USA would reduce the inflow of drugs to the USA. One of such common drugs is Fentanyl.

Although the amount of fentanyl seized at the US-Canada border is significantly lower than at the southern border according to US data, Canada has promised to implement a set of sweeping new security measures along the border, including strengthened surveillance and adding a joint “strike force” to target transnational organised crime. But Trump is not pacified. Instead, it would seem that the ridicule of another sovereign country is high on his agenda.

While Trump has said that he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States, he is however, worried about its neighbour’s military spending.

Canada has been under pressure to increase its military spending as it continues to fall short of the target set out for NATO members. Its defence budget currently stands at C$27bn ($19.8bn, £15.5bn), although the Trudeau government has promised that it will boost spending to almost C$50bn by 2030. Will that make Trump happy?

Another close neighbouring country already feeling the heat of Trump’s second coming is Mexico. After the November presidential election which he won with a landslide, Trump has been on the neck of one of America’s biggest trading partners, Mexico, threatening to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. As expected, that did not sit well with Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, who has also said that it would be beautiful to rename United States of America as Mexican America.

While recently displaying a 17th-century world map showing North America as Mexican America, she pointed out that the Gulf of Mexico was the name recognised by the United Nations several decades ago, and that nothing would change it. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Mexico, threatening to impose stiff tariffs on imports from one of the United States’ biggest trading partners unless it halted the flow of illegal migrants and drugs across the border. He has also revived a threat from his first term to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups.

After provoking his neigbours in Canada and Mexico, Trump seems not to be done yet, as both Greenland and the Panama Canal are next on his radar. He says the United States needs those two areas for economic security, and warns that he wouldn’t rule out exercising military or economic coercion to achieve his aim.

READ ALSO: NIS confirms four dead in suspected terrorist attack on Kebbi facility

Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has rejected Trump’s designs on Greenland, but said she’d continue to welcome American interest and investment. She said that the people of Greenland would continue to hold fast to Greenland, and that the future of Greenland would be defined by the Greenlanders, and ‘not the rest of us.’ ‘’It is their country that we are talking about here, and it is Greenland that, in my eyes, can determine and define Greenland’s future,” she said.

As he takes the oath of office, he should be reminded that the interest of other democratic countries counts in foreign relations and that it should not be all about America. The world is changing, and it is not the same world he left behind in 2021 that he is going to meet on January 20th.

Greenland has a population of about 57,000 and is a fully autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has oil, natural gas and mineral resources, but its economy is reliant on subsidies from Denmark and from fishing. Still, Trump recently expressed doubt about Denmark’s control of Greenland, despite Greenland’s status as an autonomous territory. “Nobody even knows if they have any right, title or interest,” Trump said, inaccurately, of Denmark and Greenland.

Greenland’s government has twice rebuffed assertions of interest in the territory by Trump, with Prime Minister Mute Egede saying just before Christmas that “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.” Recently, Egede gave a New Year’s speech, pushing for Greenland to remove “the shackles of colonialism” and gain full independence from Denmark. “It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” Egede said.

Trump’s ongoing pursuit of Greenland may have raised the hackles of Denmark, which retains sovereignty over the Arctic Island, but his territorial ambitions seem to be gaining traction in an unlikely quarter – Russia.

High-profile political pundits close to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, have already voiced their support for Trump’s re-stated ambition to ‘buy’ Greenland and expand U.S. territory to include the resource-rich island — commenting that such a move would validate every other country’s expansionist territorial ambition, and most importantly, Russia’s.

With a week before his inauguration, I doubt if there is a nation on earth that is not thinking deeply on how the next four years would pan out in America and its policies under Trump. Although, he seems to enjoy a cosy relationship with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is also giving many Ukrainians cause for concern. He has already vowed to end the war within 24 hours of his inauguration.

How he intends to do that is yet to be seen. He has made his intention known to stop providing military aid to Ukraine, and such an action will significantly tilt the war in favour of Russia. If that happens, several billions of dollars belonging to America but so far invested in the war would have been wasted.

Trump is in a no-love-lust relationship with China and the cold war is expected to continue with him fully in charge. The issues at hand are the control of Taiwan by China, as well as the growing influence of China in world affairs. And he makes no bones about it when he said that he’ll impose a tax regime of 150 per cent to 200 per cent on China. He believes that he enjoys warm relations with President Xi Jinping, and that China would not dare provoke him because Xi knows that Trump is ‘crazy’.

What should we expect of him on the Middle-east crisis? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once described Trump as the “best friend that Israel has ever had in the White House”. While in office during his first term, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a move that was widely denounced by Palestinians and international law experts. He also recognised Israel’s claim to the occupied Golan Heights in Syria. His administration brokered the so-called Abraham Accords, a series of agreements that formalised diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and a handful of Arab countries.

But contrary to Trump’s claims that he would bring calm to the region, critics say his “arms for peace” framework has been a failure – as evidenced by Israel’s devastating military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, which have pushed the Middle East to the brink of an all-out-war. Trump maintained a hard line against Iran both in and out of the White House, and this is expected to continue. During Trump’s first tenure as president, the US unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 agreement that saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions against its economy. In the aftermath, his administration heaped crippling sanctions against Tehran and authorised the assassination of top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, an attack that fuelled tensions across the region.

While in office, Trump notoriously derided international bodies such as the United Nations and the NATO alliance, and withdrew from multilateral accords, including the Paris Agreement on climate change. He has accused Washington’s NATO allies of not paying their fair share for the bloc’s collective defence and has warned them that his government would not protect them if they were attacked by Russia. NATO’s charter contains a mutual defence clause for all members.

Coming back home, what should African countries expect from Trump’s second coming? Africa has not been a top diplomatic priority for Washington in recent years. The United States has lost some of its influence on the continent also. The list of issues that would involve Trump in the affairs of the continent would include trade, investment, aid, sanctions and war. Trump’s election and inauguration comes as China and Russia make significant strides across Africa. Experts believe that Trump’s foreign policy towards African countries will prioritise transactional relationships and shift away from multilateral partnerships, with aid, trade, and climate agreement now uncertain. Trump’s focus, many have warned, could be limited to how Africa fits within his broader geopolitical objectives, especially concerning his rivalry with China. Those who fall in line will be favoured, others pressured to conform, more like what he did whilst in power between 2017 and 2021. Trump has been variously described as a dealer who transacts based on what he can get.

With power effectively back in his hands in a few days’ time, Trump is one leader that cannot be taken for granted. His first and only love is America and he would do whatever that has to be done to make America great again. Many in Africa won’t like him, as he has promised to deport many illegal immigrants in the USA from his first day in office. Many African-Americans who are majorly in the Democratic party did all within their power to stop Trump’s re-election, but millions of others voted for him. As he takes the oath of office, he should be reminded that the interest of other democratic countries counts in foreign relations and that it should not be all about America. The world is changing, and it is not the same world he left behind in 2021 that he is going to meet on January 20th.

I wish him well in his second coming.

See you next week.

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In a Friday call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Biden outlined his plan to create new legal pathways for immigration and improve the process for people requesting asylum, according to an account of the call released by the White House.

Priorities include “reversing the previous administration’s draconian immigration policies,” the White House said.

The two leaders agreed to work together towards reducing “irregular migration,” the White House release said.

Mexico has a major role to play in Biden’s plans for immigration reform.

Earlier this month, Mexico helped coordinate efforts in Central America to contain a large caravan of migrants heading for the United States.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry also said it had begun talks with Washington about a COVID-19-related order signed by Biden to establish firmer health protocols for people entering U.S. territory.

The call was “pleasant and respectful,” López Obrador said in a brief Twitter post.

“Everything indicates relations will be good and for the benefit of our people and nations,” López Obrador said.

Nevertheless, Biden’s inauguration comes at a time of simmering tension over a now-dropped U.S. investigation into former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos.

Cracking down on both legal and illegal immigration was a core focus of Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump.

Biden, meanwhile, has made an early push for a bill that would open a path for citizenship for the roughly 11 million people living in the United States illegally, though even his allies in Congress acknowledge that may be “a Herculean task.”

Source: Reuters

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In a tweet, he said it hurt to be leaving Bolivia but he would return with more “strength and energy”.

Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, confirmed Mr Morales had boarded a Mexican government plane.

Meanwhile, Bolivia’s military commander ordered troops to back up police who have clashed with Morales supporters.

Some 20 people were reported injured in the clashes.

Mr Morales earlier urged his supporters to resist the “dark powers” that had forced him to step down.

The deputy head of the Senate has said she will take over as interim president until new elections are held.

Mr Morales, a former coca farmer, was first elected in 2006.

He has won plaudits for fighting poverty and improving Bolivia’s economy but drew controversy by defying constitutional term limits to run for a fourth term in October’s election, which is alleged to have been rife with irregularities.

What did Mexico say?

Mr Ebrard announced the decision to grant Mr Morales asylum at a press conference.

Mexico has a left-leaning government and has supported Mr Morales.

Mr Ebrard earlier described events in Bolivia as a “coup”, citing the military’s involvement in Mr Morales’ resignation.

Why did Morales quit?

Pressure had been growing on Mr Morales since his narrow victory in last month’s presidential election.

On Sunday, events moved swiftly. First, the Organization of American States, a regional body, announced its audit of the election had found “clear manipulation” and called for the result to be annulled.

In response, Mr Morales agreed to hold fresh elections. But his main rival, Carlos Mesa – who came second in the vote – said Mr Morales should not stand in any new vote.

What really seemed to tip the balance was the intervention of the chief of the armed forces, General Williams Kaliman, who urged Mr Morales to step down in the interests of peace and stability.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Morales said he had taken the decision in order to stop fellow socialist leaders from being “harassed, persecuted and threatened”.

He also called his removal a “coup”.

Reports say Mr Morales made the announcement of his resignation from El Chapare, a coca-growing rural area of Cochabamba and a bastion of support for him and his Mas party.

What has the reaction been?

Opponents of Mr Morales have been celebrating across Bolivia, setting off fireworks and waving national flags, while his supporters clashed with police in the cities of La Paz and El Alto, according to local media reports.

Argentines and Bolivians also took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Monday to protest against his resignation.

His resignation met with mixed reactions from world leaders.

US President Donald Trump on Monday described it as “a significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere”.

The Russian foreign ministry said a “wave of violence unleashed by the opposition” had not allowed the “presidential mandate of Evo Morales to be completed”.

The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz Canel, tweeted that what happened was “a violent and cowardly coup d’etat against democracy in Bolivia by the right”.

Socialist-led countries Nicaragua and Venezuela also expressed solidarity with Mr Evo Morales.

Spain expressed its concern over the role of Bolivia’s army, saying that “this intervention takes us back to moments in the past history of Latin America”.

What happens now?

The deputy leader of the Senate, Jeanine Áñez, said she would assume power as interim leader until elections were held.

Ms Áñez made the announcement after Vice-President Álvaro García, Senate leader Adriana Salvatierra and House of Deputies’ leader Victor Borda had all resigned, leaving her next in line to take over power temporarily.

“I assume this challenge with the only objective to call new elections,” she said. “This is simply a transitional phase.”

The opposition politician said she would convene the legislative assembly later on Monday to be confirmed as interim president.

But with Mr Morales’ party in control of both the Senate and the House of Deputies it is not clear if she will get the necessary backing from legislators.

Under Bolivia’s constitution, whoever takes over as interim president has 90 days to call fresh elections.

Source:  BBC

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