The world is changing at a dizzying pace. This change has now got fresh stimulus with the election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.
In his first few days he has demonstrated that his election rhetoric was not just that but he has proceeded with the implementation of all that he had promised in his election speeches with lightning speed that has surprised many specially in the third world where election promises are just that.
Promises that are not meant to be kept but discarded at the first opportunity.
Donald Trump’s litmus test was his remarks on the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip. He had almost ordered both sides to enter a ceasefire before he took oath of office.
Like so many other utterances by not only Americans but leaders from other countries everyone thought this was just some more election stuff meant to impress the electorate and attract more votes.
As it turned out it was not. Within the few days between his statement and the elections it was as if springs have been attached to his announcement with a flurry of activities between Tel Aviv, Washington and Doha resulting in a ceasefire before he took oath of office just as he had promised.
On the domestic front, just after being elected as the 47th President of the United States, Trump has put into action plans that he had announced to the electorate during his election campaign including awarding a pardon to all those of his supporters sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for attacking Capitol Hill when Trump was defeated in the last American elections.
The US President was so serious about his commitment to his supporters that while signing the documents he was asked “Is this a commutation of sentence or full pardon?” to which he emphatically said that this was a full pardon.
This means the crime for which these people were sentenced will be completely wiped out of their records while in commutation the crime would have remained on their records while the rest of the sentence would have been commuted.
Other serious decisions have been taken, including deployment of troops to stop illegal immigrants pouring into America mostly from Latin American countries and deportation of those already in the US. Among his latest orders was the abolition of law that allowed children born in the US to automatically get US citizenship.
This was one order that has been suspended by a court in the US but knowing Trump he will eventually work around it as he is a determined soul who usually overcomes all hurdles to get his way.
On an international level, the US president stunned all by withdrawing from the WHO (World Health Organization) to which the US provides substantial funding.
Another action that will have a global impact is Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordering halt to almost all US foreign aid. Some countries will be hit really hard by this action.
There are many international and domestic examples of a U-turn on promises in the US as well as on a global level. Take, for example, US President Barack Obama, who in 2012 walked into the White House press room and told reporters that the use of chemical weapons by Syria’s Assad regime would not be tolerated and, would prompt a US action.
Three years later, it was quite evident that Obama made a promise he was not going to keep as Assad’s forces advanced unhindered with plausible proof of use of chemical weapons.
Sometimes a U-turn by a head of state can be good for the country as in the case of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh who stunned observers when he conceded to his opponent in the country’s presidential elections.
This was someone who had promised to rule for ‘a billion years’, his decision to walk away peacefully was actually a remarkably positive turn for the country.
So what about Pakistan and do political leaders fulfill their promises? Major political parties have election promises reflected in their slogans and some of these slogans have been around for nearly half a century and the amazing thing is that though not many are fulfilled or partially fulfilled they continue to be attractive for voters who keep casting their votes in the vain hope that one day they will be fulfilled.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a well-known columnist
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