Leadership

Well, welcome mr. Trump on the world stage. This is it, after a long and arduous campaign, that is finally subsiding.

Things will change with a new president at the helm of the United States of America. For better, mostly. But there are some caveats that you should be aware of.

First of all, some international politics is not like business. It is something entirely different. Mr. George W. Bush had a little tale about international leadership, that he got from watching his own father.

When all the leaders were gathered at a convention, what he and his father did, and also mr. Obama, was that he treated them as friends.

Leadership is about being equal with the other leaders, and then making them work together. Like the famous round table at the court at Camelot. If you treat your friends like equals, then they feel respected, and that they can trust you.

That is the way the US has led the world for many generations of presidents.

Friendship is a personal thing. It is about the things you share, what goals you have, who your enemies are, and you as a person.

This is truly the main difficulty of international leadership; how good are you at meeting your fellow leaders as an equal.

It was the friendship between mr. Obama and mr. Putin for a long time, that was what hindered the escalation of the Ukraine crisis. Neither mr. Putin or mr. Obama wanted the crisis ruining their friendship.

Contrary to the current discussion in the American media and on blogs of different kinds, Obama really did a good job on foreign policy. He pointed the world to towards an enemy that truly is an enemy to American values; the Islamic State. And he made up a huge coalition to fight this inhuman enemy.

A coalition of all those who are truly powerful, even Russia.

This coalition is actually strengthened by the friendship between Russia and the US.

But at the crux of the matter lies the ancient craft of statesmanship that is to lead among equals.

G-d bless the willingness to listen to ones friends.

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