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Trump’s second term could realign US diplomacy towards authoritarian leaders
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Trump’s second term could realign US diplomacy towards authoritarian leaders

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s fiery, right-wing leader says Donald Trump’s victory will help his fight against immigration and multiculturalism and restore traditional family values.

Once upon a time there was a president in Argentina hugged a bear At a political conference in Maryland, Trump attacks his critics as rats and parasites, rails against corrupt elites and calls climate change a “socialist lie.”

According to both these leaders and outside observers, Trump’s second term could reorient U.S. diplomacy away from traditional international alliances and toward populist, authoritarian politicians.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

Two days before Tuesday’s election, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made a bold prediction.

“Donald Trump will be president again and that means that by the end of the year pro-peace political forces will be in the majority in the West,” Orbán told state radio.

Orbán is accused by the European Union of burying Hungary’s democracy by dominating the media and creating a network of loyal oligarchs. He became close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, worrying foreign leaders.

What Orbán calls “illiberal democracy” has stigmatized civil society organizations and cracked down on LGBTQ+ rights. He is in favor of preserving power, even if it goes against the interests of his traditional Hungarian allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Trump has avoided openly criticizing Putin and has consistently spoken warmly about him.

“There’s clearly an authoritarian-minded chemistry between them,” said Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

That chemistry dovetails with Trump’s admiration for other authoritarian leaders, some elected by once-democratic systems, Gould-Davies said, citing Hungary under Orbán as an example.

Trump claimed he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine “within 24 hours”; This claim was welcomed by the Kremlin, which already has an advantage on the battlefield and around 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Moscow may hope that Trump will sow dysfunction in NATO, given his demands that other members of the alliance meet agreed levels of military spending and his warnings that Russia can “do whatever it wants” to those who fail.

Gould-Davies had observed before the election that the Kremlin would welcome Trump’s victory because of his clear desire for the war in Ukraine to end on terms favorable to Russia. Gould-Davies said Putin and other authoritarian leaders would be emboldened by Trump’s re-election, which would mean “less emphasis on the importance and value of human rights in American foreign policy.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of his country’s political leaders, both beloved and polarizing. Under Modi, Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, has become mainstream, and no one has done more to advance the cause than the 74-year-old leader.

Some critics believe Modi’s politics are dividing India, especially along religious lines. was accused of using hate speech He has stepped up rhetoric against the country’s minority Muslim community, particularly in the final stages of this year’s election campaign.

To his supporters, Modi is a political outsider who breaks the country’s history of dynastic politics. His rise has been fueled in part by promises to overhaul India’s economy, but also by Hindu-first policies that have resonated widely in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu.

To his critics, Modi has challenged democracy and threatened India’s secular fabric; His attacks on the media and freedom of expression have increased over the more than ten years he has been in power.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Like Trump, Erdogan projects an image of power based on populist messages that prioritize national interests and present himself as the defender of ordinary people against elites.

The Biden administration kept its distance from the Erdogan government, but Trump and Erdogan developed a cordial relationship. This is despite a number of differences between their countries, such as the Trump administration removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 over Ankara’s purchase of a Russian-made missile defense system.

Argentinian President Javier Milei

The president of Argentina is aggressive In a Trump-like tone, he berates multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and Condescending approach to diplomacyrejects meetings with leaders of traditional allies Brazil And Spain.

According to many observers, the most alarming parallel includes Milei’s claims Last year’s presidential election in Argentina was rigged against him. This is with it efforts to downplay brutality Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship of 1976-1983 raised concerns about its impact on democracy.

Milei congratulated Trump on his election victory by posting a photo of the two men hugging in front of their respective nations’ flags on Instagram on Wednesday.

“You know you can count on Argentina to fulfill your mission,” the headline reads. “Make America Great Again Now.”

Analysts say his cash-strapped government, which badly needs support from the United States, the International Monetary Fund’s largest shareholder, is betting on Trump to win. Milei’s administration is pinning its hopes on the idea that Trump can pressure the IMF to lend more to Argentina, its biggest debtor.

The fund is considering whether to lend Argentina more cash, which Milei’s libertarian government needs to fully re-enter the world market and escape exchange controls. During Trump’s first term, the IMF gave a controversial $57 billion bailout package to Argentina, then led by conservative President Mauricio Macri.

Mariano Machado, principal analyst for the Americas at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence firm, stated that US institutions and the separation of powers were designed to prevent autocratic rule, adding, “Argentina is now returning to a phase where the parameters of its institutions are changing. Pressure is being exerted.”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico

Although Fico is a leftist, he used rhetoric similar to Trump’s.

Fico even compared the assassination attempt on Trump in July to his own injury in a shooting in May.

“This is a carbon copy scenario,” Fico said. “Donald Trump’s political opponents are trying to put him in jail, and when they fail they anger the public so much that some poor soul is buying a gun.”

Like Trump, Fico disdains the mainstream media and declares war on illegal immigration. Fico faced criminal charges for organized crime, which he said were politically motivated. The case was eventually dismissed.

The Slovak leader condemned the West’s approach to the war in Ukraine and canceled arms shipments to Kiev.

Like Orbán, Fico is known for his pro-Russian views, opposing EU sanctions against Moscow and saying he would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

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Suzan Fraser from Ankara, Isabel DeBre from Buenos Aires, Krutika Pathi from New Delhi and Karel Janicek from Prague contributed.