From Asia to the Gulf and most of the European Union, the strategy adopted by America’s allies for dealing with Donald Trump has been to praise and flatter him in the hope that he eventually plays nice.
As the US president’s war on Iran drags on, it is (with very few exceptions) no different.
Almost nobody dares call Trump out. Both in public and private, many have commended and even thanked him for his actions in Iran, according to multiple officials briefed on those conversations.
Any questioning of the lack of answers on the war’s goals and endgame has been timid.
But in discussions among themselves, many of those same governments are nervous, if not fuming, the officials say.
One Gulf leader told a European counterpart on a recent call that they privately despaired at what Trump was doing and thought he didn’t have a plan but did not want to communicate those concerns directly to the Americans.
A person close to a western European leader said they were furious with the likely impact of Trump’s war on the global economy and on security but argued little would be gained by expressing that publicly. Europeans are particularly riled by the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil.
With Trump and Iran’s new supreme leader refusing to back down, oil prices remain stubbornly high at around $100 a barrel as disruption continues.
The consequences in Europe, the Gulf and much of Asia could be lasting and profound if the war continues for many more weeks.
The tactics of allies toward Trump aren’t new. They’ve tried to cajole him on trade, on Russia over the war against Ukraine, and to influence his dealings in the Middle East or with China.
Success has been scant, the lessons learned few.
The difference now is the stakes are rapidly getting higher. World leaders are increasingly anxious that Trump may be driving them all toward a precipice. — Alberto Nardelli and Alex Wickham