by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
By Arul Louis,
New York : In possibly the sternest warning to Pakistan by an American leader, US President Donald Trump has put Islamabad on notice, declaring it “has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists” and hinting at a direct action within that nation.
Outlining a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia before at a meeting of 2,000 US military personnel at Fort Meyer near Washington, he forthrightly accused Pakistan of giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror”.
In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added, “These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide – that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.”
Asserting that “the next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan,” he reverted to his trademark blunt style and said: “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.”
“Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan,” he added. “It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.”
In the strongest accusation coming from a US President, he forthrightly accused Pakistan of giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror”.
“We will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan,” he said.
“These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide – that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.”
“I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy,” he said.
While he talked of a new strategy, he played the cards close to his chest. He did not provide any specifics saying: “We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.”
He added that he would not set any timetables — which his predecessor Barack Obama had.
Trump said: “From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating IS (Islamic State), crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.”
Another important change to US policy that he announced was a break from the failed policies of his predecessors to build democracies around the world, sometimes at the point of a gun as in Iraq.
He called the new policy “Principled Realism” and said: “We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image – those days are now over.”
He added, “We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better lives.”
He raised the spectre of nuclear threats at two levels.
“We must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us,” Trump said.
The other danger he saw was from Pakistan’s backing for terrorists against India.
“The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict,” he said.
(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Washington, (IANS) In an attempt to clarify his stance regarding potential default on national debt payments, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that, in the US, “you never have to default because you print the money”.
Responding to questions over recent comments indicating that as president, he would renegotiate US national debt rather than pay creditors in full – which could spur a global financial shock – Trump, according to CNN, said the notion that he would default on national debt is “crazy.”
“People said I want to go and buy debt and default on debt, and I mean, these people are crazy. This is the US government,” Trump told CNN on Monday “First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?”
Late last week, Trump said that as president, he would “borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal.” He added, “And if the economy was good, it was good. So, therefore, you can’t lose.”
Trump’s comments alarmed many, as defaulting on national debt would send reverberations throughout global finance given US debt is considered about the lowest-risk financial asset the world over. On Monday, Trump addressed his previous comments.
“I said if we can buy back government debt at a discount, in other words, if interest rates go up and we can buy bonds back at a discount – if we are liquid enough as a country, we should do that,” Trump said. “In other words, we can buy back debt at a discount.”
Trump, the billionaire real estate magnate, called himself the “king of debt,” going on to reference his purchase of discounted mortgages during the housing-bubble collapse that trigger the 2008 recession. However, a nation is different from a business, he said.
“In business (debt buyback) happens all the time. I bought mortgages back when the market went bad, I bought mortgages back at tremendous discounts, and I love doing that,” he said.
“There’s nothing like it actually, it gives me a great thrill. But in the US with bonds, that won’t happen because you know in theory the market doesn’t go down so that you default on debt, and that’s what happens.”
Trump has also made news of late for suggesting that he would like to see a boost in minimum wage protections and less tax decreases for top income recipients in the US than his previous tax plans had indicated.
On Sunday, Trump gave somewhat contradicting statements on wage hikes in the US. On ABC’s This Week, Trump said that “people have to get more” in terms of wages, but his comments centered around the vague pledge to “bring companies back into this country.”
“But my real minimum wage is going to be — I’m going to bring companies back into this country and they’re going to make a lot more than the $15 even,” Trump said. “They’re going to make a lot more than that. That’s what I want to do.”
Later on Sunday, on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said that states should decide on their own minimum wages, and that the federal government should not set a wage floor.
“I would like to see an increase of some magnitude,” he said. “But I’d rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide. Because don’t forget, the states have to compete with each other.”
In both Sunday interviews, Trump expressed a belief that, after negotiations with Congress, the wealthy in America may have to pay more in taxes that is proposed in his own tax plan. He did not express a desire to alter his tax plans for top income recipients. In fact, on Monday during an interview with Fox Business Network, Trump said his proposal is centered on “massive tax decreases.”
