Today is not March 8th and the problems are the same as yesterday. Today is not March 8th, but the wave of regression continues and will affect men, women and, in general, anyone who does not fit into the parameters of that suffocating masculinity that the leaderships of Trump, Putin and Xi perfectly fulfill.
They present themselves as strong leaders, but in reality they confuse strength with arrogance, bragging and pride. Simple ideas that despise the difference and dissent of those who do not follow the cult of personality, money and power.
With no time to lose, Europe is beginning to realize that the liberal international order is threatened by the will to divide the world by three powers, two of them in the hands of dictators and a third in danger of falling. Americans will see the balance of their institutions pushed to the limit, and the big question for the coming times will be whether institutions and civil society will be strong enough to limit this onslaught against the pillars of democracy. For the moment, the courts are the first dam against many of Trump's policies of dubious legitimacy.
Governing is not easy
The first weeks of his term have shown that Trump is willing to destroy the internal order and the international order, but that it will not be easy. His success in the country is based on three measures that are widely approved by public opinion: immigration policy, cuts in the federal government and the imposition of international relations based on taking advantage of others. Trump will not have it as easy as his propaganda pretends. For the moment, on March 5th, the Wall Street Journal He said that military flights to expel immigrants have been halted for budgetary reasons and mass expulsions are not taking place. As for the reduction of the administration, important differences between cabinet members and Elon Musk have emerged, forcing the president to overrule him and assure that the reduction of bureaucracy will be done "with a scalpel and not with an axe." At the heart of the matter is social concern about the consequences for Medicaid and Medicare programs, health coverage for the elderly and the poor.
Musk considers social security "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time," but it is not clear that Trump will dare to dismantle the system. But where Trump will really bet his money is on the economy and inflation, the main concern of Americans. For the moment, the trade war has been postponed due to the concerns of the actors involved, and the fall in the stock market is not a good sign.
Meanwhile, Europe has begun to move to lead the way for peace. A peace understood as a sustainable agreement that is not based on the humiliation of the Ukrainians or on the chronic insecurity of the member countries of the European Union in the face of an expansionist Russia.
Finally, this week London and Paris have understood the danger of the situation and have seen the lack of Trumpist diplomatic capacity. How many shouting meetings has the bust of Churchill in the Oval Office witnessed? Probably hundreds, but never before has any president broadcast live the break with an ally while causing deep satisfaction to the common enemy. Trump's transactional diplomacy cannot be broadcast live. prime time if he does not want to end up admitting defeat at the hands of reality or giving Russia a hand.
The fact that Trump has brought back the bust of Churchill in the Oval Office may not be good news. In fact, he has also brought back the button with which he asks his assistants to fill his glass of Coca-Cola, a drink of which he consumes about four liters a day, but if he respects Churchill he may also respect the transatlantic bridge of the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
This Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky held a "very productive" meeting with a British delegation. A meeting prior to the one next Tuesday, when the Ukrainians will meet with American representatives in Saudi Arabia. The mediation of the Golf satraps will take place while 70,000 Ukrainian women will fight, 5,500 of them on the front, for the freedom of their country.
Of the many and recurrent phrases attributed to Churchill, there is one for every moment, like this one: "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. What counts is the courage to continue." This is what Ukraine and Europe need. Times have changed and in the division of the new world no one is waiting for them.
