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Op-Ed: Trump. Ukraine, Mexican border, and superficiality

Try pushing the right buttons. It might help.

Arizona Mexico Border. — © Frederic J. Brown, AFP
Arizona Mexico Border. — © Frederic J. Brown, AFP

From the frantic headlines about Ukraine and the Mexican border emergency, you’d think something was being done, and that anything was happening.

Trump has “told” Putin to end the “ridiculous” Ukraine war or face sanctions and tariffs.

Trump has ordered troops to the Mexican border and supposedly intends to seal the border.

Dramatic, yes.

Attention-getting, yes.

Meaningful?

Not particularly.

Russia is already the most sanctioned place on earth.  You can’t charge tariffs on illegal trade with a country under sanctions. The noise is all about Trump being visible on the issues. He’s also being seen as giving orders to Putin, a departure from the last time they met. Putin may not like that.

Anything could happen in Russia. Economic and social stability are questionable at best. That could mean very hard times in a place that is looking almost back to the horrific 1990s in some ways. Discontent is real enough.

The Ukraine situation requires a lot more than a press release. A satisfactory peace needs more than rhetoric from thousands of miles away. Donetsk alone may be uninhabitable after all the fighting. The entire area is full of unexploded munitions and toxic chemistry. The dead and maimed aren’t doing too well, either. The displaced people need help. Cleaning up to any degree will take years, a lot of skills, and lots of money.

It was not immediately clear how much Ukraine had advanced in Kursk
It was not immediately clear how much Ukraine had advanced in Kursk – Copyright AFP Yan DOBRONOSOV

The world could at least try using a brain cell to analyze the problems. Where’s the reconstruction aid? What about repatriation? What about the tens of thousands who may need lifelong care?

OK, you have to start somewhere, but why is nobody talking about the inevitable next steps? Why is everyone just sitting around amid the disasters?

How America relates to the world, and how the world relates to America, are the two critical issues for the immediate future. Credibility matters more than verbosity.

Superficiality won’t work. America’s idiotic war with itself has never worked. Putting lipstick on the wrong end of the pig won’t help.

Meanwhile – The Mexican border is mainly used by illegal immigrants getting the cheapskate no-frills service from people smugglers. The border is not generally the successful way of getting into the US. Everyone knows that, particularly the criminals exploiting desperate people at very much higher prices.  

President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migration devastated some migrants at the US-Mexico border
President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration devastated some migrants at the US-Mexico border – Copyright AFP Guillermo Arias

There are plenty of other ways to get into the US that don’t involve floundering around in a hostile desert. This response is yet another cosmetic exercise which is basically an expensive marketing stunt.

The Mexican government is stuck with its own serious domestic issues and a border situation in which the US government doesn’t seem to be working with it at all. Back in 2007, millions of guns went from the US to Mexico. Nobody paid any attention.  The cartels emerged soon after. That worked out well, didn’t it?

US policy on Mexico hasn’t changed much since Teddy Roosevelt but this ain’t San Juan Hill anymore. A Mexican version of Vietnam doesn’t sound too appealing, either. Mexico should not be pushed into any sort of confrontational situation.

Try pushing the right buttons. It might help.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

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Editor-at-Large based in Sydney, Australia.

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