"Trump's new world order puts nation over globe"（3/3）
By Ian Bremmer
ーその3−
Enter Trump. The world has grown accustomed to the impulsive leadership of Putin and Erdogan; their American counterpart has now arrived. The potential is here for an unprecedented U.S.-Russia-Turkey axis, a constellation of egos and capabilities that makes sense given the transactional style of a dealmaking President. Trump's primary goal in Syria is to grind the bones of ISIS into dust. He sees no value for American voters in defending international agreements and principles that Russia and Turkey and their allies in Syria may have violated. For Trump, America's interest is only in eliminating a threat to the U.S. He has no problem if Turkey drops its bitter opposition to Bashar Assad in exchange for Russia using airstrikes to keep Kurdish forces from expanding territory. From Trump's perspective, that's just good business.
impulsive: acting or done without forethought.
counterpart: a person or thing holding a position or performing a function that corresponds to that of another person or thing in another place.
unprecedented: never done or known before.
axis: the imaginary straight line that something (such as the Earth) turns around.
constellation: 1) an easily recognized group of stars that appear to be located close together in the sky and that form a picture if lines connecting them are imagined. Constellations are usually named after an animal, a character from mythology, or a common object.
2) an assemblage, collection, or group of usually related persons, qualities, or things. (assemblage= a collection or gathering of things or people)
transactional: relating to the conducting of business, especially buying or selling.
(transactional leadership: Style of leadership that is based on the setting of clear objectives and goals for the followers as well as the use of either punishments or rewards in order to encourage compliance with these goals.)
For all those watching from other parts of the world, this is the new order. Trump has declared independence from the responsibility to play grobal policeman. His role, as he see it, is to protect and serve only his country and his countrymen. Values are for suckers.
sucker: a person who is easily tricked or deceived.
Trump is no isolationist, though. He's a unilateralist. Like Putin and Erdogan, he's going to do things his way. He's going to trust his instincts on where and when to intervene. He's going to improvise. Traditions will matter only where Trump believes they provide useful leverage. If Putin likes me, he said at a Jan. 11 press conference, "that's called an asset, not a liability."
unilateralist:
unilateralism: When a country uses "unilateralism" , it refuses to involve other nations in its foreign affairs. ... Any action described this way is completely one-sided, and the roots of the word "unilateralism" reflect this - uni means "one" in Latin, and lateralism comes from latus, or "side".
intervene: to occur incidentally so as to modify or hinder; to interfere with force or a threat of force.
improvise: to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation.
leverage: influence or power used to acheive a desired result.
asset: a useful or valuable thing, person, or quality.
liability: a person or thing whose presence or behavior is likely to cause embarrassment or put one at a disadvantage.
Though they might envy the audacity, Europe's current leaders don't have this sort of freedom. The E.U. may ease sanctions on Russia, particularly when its members decide Trump isn't supporting their resistance, but they can't embrace Putin as a useful partner and accept that Crimia is now forever part of Russia. Europeans can keep paying Turkey to stem the flow of Middle Eastern migrants into the E.U., but they can't renounce opposition to Erdogan's willingness to jail journalists and started intent to bring back the death penalty. Trump doesn't face these contradictions. He cares nothing about Ukraine, he doesn't fear a Russian annexation of Alaska, and he isn't worried that Syrian refugees will wash ashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks. He believes these are American advantages, and he won't apologize for them.
audacity: courage or confidence of a kind that other people find shocking or rude.
embrace: accept or support (a belief , theory, or change) willingly and enthusiasticaly.
stem: to restrain or stop (the flow of something) by or as if by damming up.
renounce: formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession).; reject.
intent: resolved or determined to do (something).
contradiction: a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.
annexation: the action of annexing something, especially territory.
wash ashore: to bring (something) onto the shore by waves.
Outer Banks in NC: The Outer Banks are barrier islands off the coast of the U.S. state of North Carolina, separating the Atrantic Ocean from the mainland. Their open-sea beaches, state parks and shipwreck diving sites make them a popular holiday destination.
It should be clear, even at Davos, that Cold War triumphalism and assumptions about the inevitable global adoption of liberal values are long gone. The world's only superpower will sometimes partner with egotistical rogues to secure deals on favorable terms. In short, powerful people in Washington now accept that the U.S. is just another country. For the first time ever, the sitting Chinese President will attend the conference, signaling to the world that China - with its interest in protecting a predictable status quo - will begin to take on jobs that Trump doesn't want. It remains to be seen how long Beijing will be willing and able to shoulder this burden.
triumphalism: excessive exultation over one's success or achievements (used especially in a political context).
assumption: the action of taking or beginning to take power or responsibility.
sitting: (of an elected representative) current; present.
status quo: The existing order of things.
And Davos will debate how long the Turkey-Russia-U.S. axis can last. It probably won't be long. Ego and divergent interests will push them apart, perhaps soon. That's the thing about transactional relationships. They make sense in the moment, but they're only available to those with something to bargain with. When trust, constancy and shared values are absent, the world is left to build its alliances on shifting sands.(終）
constancy: the quality of being faithful and dependable; the quality of being enduring and unchanging.
alliance: a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especiay between countries or organizations.