Trump’s executive order, closing US borders to tens of thousands of people, for the sole "crime" of coming from, or being born in the "wrong" country, caused outrage around the world. And so it should have!
Having failed to win a majority of the popular vote, Trump now tries to shore up his precarious position as a billionaire president. Using the worn-out cover of the "war on terror", his order is meant to generate fear, while whipping up bigotry and racist prejudices. But then, hasn’t Trump welcomed the support of the infamous Ku-Klux-Klan during his campaign? Hasn’t he appointed Steve Bannon, an overt white supremacist, as his chief political adviser, while choosing a racist bigot and anti-abortion fanatic for vice-president?
Yes, fanning prejudices and resorting to provocation, using the resources of the world’s most powerful state machinery now at his disposal - this is the name of Trump’s politicking game!
The logic to Trump’s madness
Trump’s order denies entry to the US for anyone coming from, or born in, 7 Middle Eastern/African countries, for 3 months. All refugees are banned for 4 months and Syrians are banned indefinitely.
But how can this make the US "safer", as Trump claims? Haven’t most terrorists in the US been born there, or in an allied country, like Saudi Arabia, which is not targeted by Trump? Indeed, some of the worst terror attacks before 9/11, were carried out by supporters of the very same white supremacist groups whose approval Trump has been seeking! Just like the racist thug who gunned down 5 people in a mosque, in next-door Canada, just after Trump’s announcement.
No, the issue is clearly neither the country’s "safety", nor terrorism. In fact each one of Trump’s orders, disgusting and cynical though they are, only reveal the true face of the rich powers’ order, which all past and present US leaders have been enforcing over the poor countries - with the active complicity of the lesser European powers, like Britain.
The only difference is that when he voices his hatred for foreigners and refugees, Mexicans and Muslims, when he celebrates the use of torture and calls for a big increase in military spending, Trump is boasting loudly and proudly, what his predecessors kept secret.
For instance, not only did Obama’s benevolent speeches conceal the largest number of deportations ever carried out under a US president (almost 3 million!), but also his failure to close down the CIA’s largest torture camp, Guantanamo!
And there is logic to Trump’s madness. It is designed to get the American people to feel that the US is under siege and should line up behind the wars waged directly or indirectly by its political leaders across the world - against the populations of the poor countries and for the benefit of US multinationals. If some of them are protesting today against Trump’s orders, it’s not that they’re against his aims, but only his up-front brutal methods.
A "special relationship" between thugs
Most of the protests in Britain have been focused on the fact that Trump is being officially invited to London. But is that the real issue? Who cares if the Queen has to wine and dine King Donald?
More significant is how May and her ministers bent over backwards to please him. Like Blair over Iraq, British big business and its politicians want to get the leftover crumbs from US looting of the world. This is why May was so well-behaved when visiting Trump. And also why she turns a blind eye to the crimes of the Turkish and Saudi regimes, both close US allies and both willing to buy some weapons from Britain, on top of their huge US supplies.
This is the logic of the rich powers’ world order - a logic of war and profiteering, in which there is no space for the interests of the populations, who are supposed to pay with their blood and their freedom for the preservation of this world order.
Brexit is, in its own way, part of this logic. Whatever happens in Parliament, the interests of British big business will be protected, but we, the working class, will be presented with the bill.
And we will not just pay in the form of cuts in conditions and standards of living. Although May doesn’t use the same hysterical, racist demagogy as Trump, her own version is no less dangerous and revolting - just a bit more devious. Let’s not forget her scapegoating of "illegal" migrants, with her "go home" van policy. Nor her cynical failure to do anything when faced by a refugee crisis in which all past and present British governments had a heavy responsibility.
May is once again playing the racist, anti-migrant card - whether against EU or non-EU citizens - as part of her Brexit policy. In so doing, just like Trump, she aims to split our ranks to get us to line up behind this policy. We should have nothing to do with it!