The Irish Independent’s view: Trump is causing havoc everywhere, and America is in no position to escape

Independent.ie - 18/04
It must be liberating to care not a whit whether one is on the right or wrong side of history. However, those caught in the wake of the global disorder being wrought by US president Donald Trump do not have the luxury of protection from the turbulence.

“Times of crisis, of disruption or constructive change, are not only predictable, but desirable. They mean growth,” wrote Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. But if the disturbance is destructive and the pattern is one of chaos, the effects are far from desirable.

The world finds itself increasingly in thrall to an ever-more whimsical White House. Whether it is trying to exert pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the carnage in Ukraine or to coordinate conditions to enable international economies to function, Mr Trump’s mercurial decision-making is playing havoc.

The European Central Bank has been pressed into changing its interest rates because of the Trump tariff regime. The steps he is taking have caused global unease as industries brace to cope with the consequences of the collision between the world’...
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