Challenging Economy ,Wars and Global Order ; Nixon Vs.Trump : Why USA Needs Dr. Henry Kissinger More Than Ever Again !
Rajiv Upadhyay 
No one doubts the global challenges being faced by President Trump nor one doubts his sincerity in promoting American Interests and ending wasteful wars.
But looking in past , president Nixon faced even greater challenge of Vietnam War and really much worse US Economy than inherited by president Trump and global order. Nixon took over as president in Jan ‘1969 . US economy was in serious decline with highest ever Stagflation with 5.4% inflation , 6 % unemployment and negative growth rate of 0,21 % in 1970 . Japan had a continuous growth rate of almost 10 % for ten years , Europe as a whole had a GDP growth rate of 4.7 % . But Germany was the wonder kid of European growth . US dollar was losing global trust . As a desperate measure USA abandoned the Gold convertibility clause of dollar called Gold Standard , He imposed a general ten percent import tariff and made dollar float against global currencies to find and stabilise at its real market value . All these were done with out ruffling feathers of friends and foes alike .
But it was the brilliance of his Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger that not only saved but ensured prosperity of American People for the next fifty years by his three major steps .
He convinced Saudi Royal Family to sell their oil in only US dollars . The rest of OPEC countries soon followed the suit and the dollar demand went up with out real US exports due to heavy foreign investment. The ‘ Petro Dollar ‘ saved USA for next fifty years till President Biden, in a mis conceived imperial style threatened Saudis over a real non issue of Saudi / American journalist Jamal Khashoggi .
Similarly opening the China in 1972 by a presidential visit was another extremely far sighted move that kept inflation low in USA for many decades .
Similarly he ended Vietnam war by historic Paris agreement in 1973 . Though USA really lost the war but it was not as humiliating as hurried Afghan withdrawl leaving the allied forces and billions of dollars worth of arms behind as happened in 2021 under president Biden , who too ended a long futile war .
What was remarkable in all these epic decisions was that they were extremely well thought over and planned to perfection as Dr Kissinger’s first secret visit to China from Pakistan . Saudis were only assured of protection from Israel and defence against any attack . It really costed America nothing !But they were also treated like American Royalty , much to their delight and envy of neighbouring Arab States.
President Trump ideas are right .
Panama canal , gifted by president Carter in 1977 was being given away to Chinese in Cuban Crisis style . Europe was not spending money on defence inspite of repeated requests and had become lazy taking American protection for granted. After break up of Soviet Union it was China that emerged as the big challenge to American military and economic superiority . Europe was of only marginal importance in the global security perspective of United States . Russia was not a match to America in economy . Trump realised he had only fifteen more years of military and economic superiority over China and wanted to settle issues in this period . Arctic melting due to global warming presented new threats and opportunities to America . China had no claim in Arctic but was meddling unnecessarily . If China had remained a peaceful economic giant like Japan, nothing would have happened .But due to domestic political requirements, Xi Jinping revealed his fangs too early in South China Sea by its laughable nine dash line claim .
Similarly Trump was not wrong in Ukraine . America violating its agreement with Gorbachev, took NATO to Russian border so Russia had to retaliate and it did it with full force . Ukraine war was unwinnable and not worth . So as in Afghanistan , Vietnam USA decided to withdraw . Trump’s Gaza plan is also not as foolish as it may appear . The October Hamas attack on Israel was utterly unprovoked . It finally removed any doubt that Palestine people were incapable of governing themselves as a responsible nation . The two state solution was only a patch work and wars will break out repeatedly. With US decline, Israel could be wiped out due to population pressures.
Climate remains Trump’s blind spot like Covid vaccine !
What Trump needs is a less impulsive and explosive temper and a deep thinker and a planner like Bismark or Dr. Kissinger to execute his plans .
Alas amongst the present global foreign ministers, I only find Dr S.Jaishankar fitting the glove perfectly today .
May be Trump should make Dr Jaishankar his foreign minister !
