The debate between US President Donald Trump and his vice president on one side and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other is far from customary in diplomatic norms or political traditions. But isn’t Trump a unique figure, unlike anything we have seen in past years, or even decades, in terms of his approach to politics?
Trump sat before Zelensky and reprimanded him in front of everyone. Despite the Ukrainian president yielding to the demand to sell metals to the United States and failing to maintain his stance on the war in his country, he reminded the entire world of a famous saying: The United States burns its enemies, but it burns its friends even more.
Lebanon is not far from this course of action, albeit in a different way from what happened with Zelensky. If the Ukrainian president had asked the Lebanese about how the US handles Lebanese politics, he would not have endured such hardship in full view of the entire world.
The United States deployed its fleet to the shores of Beirut during the 1958 crisis, later abandoned Camille Chamoun and did not continue supporting him, after giving Gamal Abdel Nasser room to maneuver and choosing not to get further entangled in Middle Eastern complexities during the Cold War.
The US then hardened its stance on Lebanon in 1982 and sought to be the broker of settlements under the direction of Philip Habib, of Lebanese origin, realizing that the Israeli invasion could not have happened without its absolute support. Yet, it later abandoned Amine Gemayel halfway, leaving him to struggle alone with the May 17 Agreement, without providing him with the political means to resist.
And when the US determined in 1989 that it was time to close the files of international conflicts, it did not bother to defend its allies in Lebanon and handed over the Lebanese file to Syria in recognition of its role in the Iraq War.
This is how the US operates. Whenever it becomes deeply involved in an issue, it abandons it when a more urgent matter arises. A superpower like the United States is constantly overwhelmed with issues and cannot be approached individually, nor can its attention be held for long because its political stamina is short-lived.
Zelensky failed to grasp this reality. He did not realize that Trump would not agree to continue what his predecessor Joe Biden had started, as Trump considers it unjustified. Moreover, Trump is in a hurry to achieve peace in different conflict zones, from the Middle East to Ukraine and other war-torn areas. The man is obsessed with winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and that is what he is striving for. Meanwhile, Zelensky was betting on draining Russia in the crisis, but Trump cut off his path.
European and British gestures of compensation by welcoming Zelensky as a hero, or engaging in high-level talks with him, will be of little use. Those expressing solidarity, particularly Macron, have already had their share of humiliation from Trump just a week ago. What a man!
Comments