Trump's speech to the UN General Assembly
In his address to the UN General Assembly President Trump boasted about his own achievements, triggering bouts of laughter among the audience. "In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country," he stated. Commentators conclude that the things Trump says really can't be taken all too seriously.
From superpower to laughing stock
Ria Novosti sees Trump's speech as portending the end of the US's world dominance:
“The US empire, like its British precursor, had a great talent for PR and persuading other countries to regard it with a bizarre mixture of fear, respect, envy and admiration. For a global hegemony such skills are invaluable: they are the guarantee that its dominance will be preserved. Any empire, even in the phase of decline, can continue to function for some time on the strength of emotional doping, and position itself vis-à-vis an outside world that no longer regards it with respect and envy, but with hate. But what no empire can survive is laughter, especially mocking laughter. ... The Pax Americana is disappearing amidst the unanimous laughter of diplomats and politicians all over the world.”
Who's afraid of Donald Trump?
The reaction to the US president's address at the UN general assembly shows that Trump is no longer taken seriously by his Western allies, The Irish Times comments:
“Trump remains the world's most powerful leader. His decisions can still affect world politics profoundly. But America's allies are no longer daunted by him in the way they were when he came to office. They have learned to discount his words, knowing he has few fixed opinions and even less knowledge, and is ever liable to change his mind – as his 180-degree turn on North Korea showed – on the most important issues. The most significant noise emanating from New York this week was not those peals of laughter but the unmistakable sound of defiance.”
Time to defend the international system
Amidst all its mockery of Trump the world shouldn't forget that he is putting the global order at risk, NRC Handelsblad warns:
“The distribution of power is fixed, and certain problems can't be solved without the US. Nevertheless we must succeed in giving the international order more clout. Because the state it is in right now is anything but ideal. Trump's strategy is risky, and is in any case unsuited to solving transborder problems. Which means he must be opposed. It's high time everyone recognised that the international system cannot be taken for granted. The international order is not carved in stone. If we want to maintain our system of rules, agreements and compromises, it's time for us to get moving.”