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Trump may realign US diplomacy towards authoritarian leaders
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Trump may realign US diplomacy towards authoritarian leaders

By JUSTIN SPIKE

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

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban enter the hall to attend a joint press conference after their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban enter the hall to attend a joint press conference after their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

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

FILE - In this June 28, 2019 file photo, President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE – In this June 28, 2019 file photo, President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

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

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shake hands while posing for a photo during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 3, 2024. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik), Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shake hands while posing for a photo during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3, 2024. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik), Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

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

FILE - Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2024) at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD., on February 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
FILE – Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2024) at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD., on February 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

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.”