World Politics in C21

This blog post's title fortunately reflects the state of some of mankind's interests in the twenty first century, which unlike the sad position of many of mankind's interests  in the  twentieth century, is much more concerned with world politics than with world wars.

Possibly however  because of the fact that there are no world wars now being fought or even in the offing, world politics in many democratic countries seem to be taking on an almost childish quality. 

For example here in the UK, the Major of London, Sadiq Khan, decided to fly a plastic balloon cartoon like figure purporting to bear some resemblance to President Trump the USA president, on the first day of  the latter's visit to the UK. Donald Trump had some months previously, been fairly rude indirectly about Sadiq Khan, in what I regarded as a most childish fashion. The London Mayor though instead of taking such petty rudeness in his stride and rising above it, responded in kind by flying a silly balloon or blimp image of Donald Trump over the capital:

Quite what this childish almost school boy antic by the London Major is intended to achieve is impossible to say. Inspiring adult discussion sadly does not seem to be part of his intentions.

The UK and the USA have had much in common for decades which goes far beyond the identities of American Presidents and British Prime Ministers during that time and a childish balloon trick does nothing for that friendship between nations.  

Just prior to his British visit, President Trump appears to have been extremely critical to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, especially as regards Germany's gas and pipeline dealings with Russia and Germany's weak financial support afforded to NATO, both of which criticisms appear to have substance, yet no  gas balloon prank seems to have taken off in Germany. 

Reverting to the position of the UK, the fact that shortly before his visit, President Trump seemed to castigate Mrs May about her Brexit  negotiations and poor cold water on her hopes for a UK/USA trade deal, coupled with the fact that after dining with her, he spoke positively about such a trade  deal,  causes speculation about whether the UK PM actually signified to President Trump, that she expects that a deal with the EU will not be reached at all, in which case trade and other deals may be done by the UK with the USA and elsewhere, without any European constraints.