Trump in a china shop
The Trump administration has halted US funding to World Health Organisation (WHO), which, it claims, has not got tough with China in trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Time was when we had ‘Bush’ in a china shop. President Donald Trump is behaving in a similar manner; he never misses an opportunity to take on China, apparently as part of his strategy to make America great again. He is emulating Bush Jr. in dealing with all nations and institutions that refuse to join the US in bashing China. Bush audaciously declared, upon launching his war on terror, “You are either with us or against us.” In 2018, Trump got his ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, to condemn the UNHRC; she minced no words when she called it ‘a cesspool of political bias’ before the US pulled out of it. She also declared that the UN human rights council was ‘a protector of human rights abuses’.
Trump has said his government will stop funding the WHO pending a review to assess its role anent the Covid-19 pandemic. He has accused it of having severely mismanaged and covered up the spread of the coronavirus. He has also flayed the WHO for what he calls its partiality to China. This is not the first time the US has taken such hostile action against a UN agency. It may be recalled that, in 2011, the White House stopped funding UNESCO when the latter accepted the Palestinian Authority as a full member in spite of pressure from the US, Israel and some European states.
Ironically, Trump, who has blamed the WHO for failing in its basic duty, stands accused of having mismanaged the Covid-19 crisis, at home. He first sought to make light of the crisis, and said the virus would fade soon. He let the grass grow under his feet while infections increased, in the US, and the situation got out of hand. He then ordered lockdowns, but promised to open up the US before Easter. He has had to eat his words due to a sharp increase in the coronavirus mortality rate. The highest number of Covid-19 deaths (about 30,000) has been reported from the US, where there are more than 638,000 infections. Trump chose to call coronavirus the Chinese virus, but in a dramatic turn of events replete with irony, thanks to his slow response to the Covid-19 crisis, the pandemic has overwhelmed the US healthcare system, and New York has become the epicentre of the virus.
At this juncture, the WHO needs more funding. It appealed for USD 675 mn, last months, to help the world battle coronavirus, and later increased the required amount to USD 1billion. If the US carries out its threatened fund cut, the WHO will be deprived of at least USD 400 million, being America’s annual contribution, which accounts for about 15% of the total budget of the UN outfit. The US action may be considered ‘the most unkindest cut of all’.
Now that President Trump has decided to cut funding to the WHO by way of punitive action against its alleged failure in its basic duty in handling the coronavirus crisis, the question is why similar action should not be taken against the White House, which has totally mismanaged the Covid-19 crisis.
Whether Trump will succeed in getting away with his failure to prevent the surge in deaths due to Covid-19, by making a scapegoat of the WHO or China remains to be seen.
The Trump administration has halted US funding to World Health Organisation (WHO), which, it claims, has not got tough with China in trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Time was when we had ‘Bush’ in a china shop. President Donald Trump is behaving in a similar manner; he never misses an opportunity to take on China, apparently as part of his strategy to make America great again. He is emulating Bush Jr. in dealing with all nations and institutions that refuse to join the US in bashing China. Bush audaciously declared, upon launching his war on terror, “You are either with us or against us.” In 2018, Trump got his ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, to condemn the UNHRC; she minced no words when she called it ‘a cesspool of political bias’ before the US pulled out of it. She also declared that the UN human rights council was ‘a protector of human rights abuses’.
Trump has said his government will stop funding the WHO pending a review to assess its role anent the Covid-19 pandemic. He has accused it of having severely mismanaged and covered up the spread of the coronavirus. He has also flayed the WHO for what he calls its partiality to China. This is not the first time the US has taken such hostile action against a UN agency. It may be recalled that, in 2011, the White House stopped funding UNESCO when the latter accepted the Palestinian Authority as a full member in spite of pressure from the US, Israel and some European states.
Ironically, Trump, who has blamed the WHO for failing in its basic duty, stands accused of having mismanaged the Covid-19 crisis, at home. He first sought to make light of the crisis, and said the virus would fade soon. He let the grass grow under his feet while infections increased, in the US, and the situation got out of hand. He then ordered lockdowns, but promised to open up the US before Easter. He has had to eat his words due to a sharp increase in the coronavirus mortality rate. The highest number of Covid-19 deaths (about 30,000) has been reported from the US, where there are more than 638,000 infections. Trump chose to call coronavirus the Chinese virus, but in a dramatic turn of events replete with irony, thanks to his slow response to the Covid-19 crisis, the pandemic has overwhelmed the US healthcare system, and New York has become the epicentre of the virus.
At this juncture, the WHO needs more funding. It appealed for USD 675 mn, last months, to help the world battle coronavirus, and later increased the required amount to USD 1billion. If the US carries out its threatened fund cut, the WHO will be deprived of at least USD 400 million, being America’s annual contribution, which accounts for about 15% of the total budget of the UN outfit. The US action may be considered ‘the most unkindest cut of all’.
Now that President Trump has decided to cut funding to the WHO by way of punitive action against its alleged failure in its basic duty in handling the coronavirus crisis, the question is why similar action should not be taken against the White House, which has totally mismanaged the Covid-19 crisis.
Whether Trump will succeed in getting away with his failure to prevent the surge in deaths due to Covid-19, by making a scapegoat of the WHO or China remains to be seen.
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