Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here. From South America to the Arctic, the world is getting a crash course in the Trump doctrine. It's immediate, it's retaliatory, it's blunt. And it's left countries oceans apart disoriented and picking up the pieces. That is partly by design — Donald Trump's strategy was always to keep people guessing as part of his deal-making. A flurry of weekend action showed he's perfected the art in his second stint as US president. When Colombia rejected deportation flights from the US, Trump immediately threatened to respond with tariffs, followed by travel curbs. Once Bogota capitulated, the economic stick was lifted, mission accomplished. US Customs and Border Protection agents guide a group of migrants to an aircraft for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, last week. Source: US Department of Defense Denmark is meanwhile reeling from a bruising conversation between Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Trump where he made clear his plan to take over Greenland is no joke. He later belittled the fellow NATO member's plan to boost surveillance of a remote outpost on the strategic self-governing island that has vast stores of critical minerals. "They put two dog sleds there two weeks ago, they thought that was protection," Trump said. The one-two punch followed Trump's Davos rebuke to bankers and ordering Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices. The audience had barely digested the Friday speech when the policy was put into practice. The Trump doctrine — self-interest dressed up as patriotic nationalism — was always hiding in plain sight. Back in 2017, he borrowed a line from the "Wizard of Oz" to address the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum: "Let us never forget the world has many places — many dreams, and many roads. But in all of the world, there is no place like home." That the film (and book) can be interpreted as a parable on populism is one for the political scientists. But these past days suggest there's no shelter for those standing on Trump's yellow brick road. — Flavia Krause-Jackson WATCH: Trump announced tariffs on Colombia after a dispute over deported migrants, but then withdrew the threat a few hours later after reaching a deal with the government in Bogota. Bill Faries reports on Bloomberg TV. |
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