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From: TT
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Photo: Susan Walsh / AP / TT
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with American Donald Trump during a meeting in June 2019.
Congratulating the winner of a US presidential election is good practice in international protocol. But for the world’s most authoritarian leaders, he’s still very calm about the upcoming change of power in the White House.
He has expressed admiration for hard-line world leaders, sowed divisions in international collaborations, and expressed contempt for multilateralism. Under Donald Trump, US foreign policy has been reformed in a more isolationist direction that has broken the line that has been in place since the end of World War II.
With Joe Biden in the White House, a return to more traditional American action on the international playing field is expected. And that’s bad news for dictators and demagogues who didn’t always agree with Trump, but who benefited from his divisive foreign policy. Dissatisfaction is felt especially in the reluctance to congratulate Biden on the victory in the presidential election.
Here are some examples:
China
Despite strong rhetoric during the 2016 election campaign, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Trump on his victory and emphasized his hope for sound and stable relations. Leaders met for chocolate cake and sorbet at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in 2017, but the conciliatory tone was short-lived. In recent years, relations have drastically deteriorated with trade wars and embarrassment over the virus.
But despite bilateral bottlenecks, Beijing has avoided commenting on Biden’s victory. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry announced that China would act in accordance with “international practice”, but the issue was raised otherwise. For Beijing, the division and chaos in America is the Communist Party’s best argument for its own system.
However, no major policy changes are expected during Biden. He has criticized Trump’s initial adoption of Xi and wants to work with allies against China.
Russia
It was only hours before the Kremlin congratulated Trump on his 2016 election victory, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has not taken to the phone to convey the same message to Biden. On Monday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow will await an official election result before commenting.
Trump broke with the previous hard line of the United States against Russia and expressed his admiration for Putin, who caused the media to speak of a “bromance”. However, Russia’s involvement in an internal political dispute over influence in the United States was a nightmare for Putin, and emotions cooled despite Trump’s refusal to speak ill of the Russian president.
With Biden in the White House, a tougher line is expected against Russia, perhaps in the form of sanctions. In an interview, he has said that Russia is the greatest threat to American security. Moscow is also unlikely to applaud that Biden is expected to fix relations with the NATO defense alliance.
Turkey
As a presidential candidate, Trump praised the harsh aftermath of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the coup attempt. And as president he congratulated him on the victory in the controversial referendum that gave Erdogan more power.
But if Trump has looked through his fingers when it comes to Ankara’s activities, a different stance is expected under Biden, who has raised concerns about Turkey’s actions and called Erdogan an autocrat. The Turkish president responded by calling Biden an interventionist and so far he has greeted the Democrat’s victory with silence. Turkish officials say they are awaiting an official result.
North Korea
Trump has met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un three times, and both have described their relationship as special. And it is no secret who wants to see the country closed in the White House. North Korean state media has described Biden as a “mad dog” who should be killed and who has met his victory in silence.
Biden has criticized Trump’s handling of North Korea. Analysts agree that the high-profile meetings between Kim and Trump have not affected North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Brazil
The right-wing nationalist president who has been dubbed “Tropics of the Tropics” has yet to congratulate Biden. Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro had awaited Trump’s re-election and his representatives have said a congratulation will come when “the time is right.”
Like Trump, Bolsonaro has become known for polarizing statements and has lessened the severity of the corona pandemic, despite the fact that Brazil is one of the most affected countries. Now he is losing an ally in the White House and in his place is expected an American president who places greater importance on human rights and the climate.
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