By: A G Abubakar

In the animal world, some predators hunt by ambush. They surprise their preys with speed, then subdue and eventually kill them, usually over a short distance. The cheetah stands out as a top sprinter in this predatory race. Only preys that outpaced or manoeuvred them lived to tell the story. The cheetah, according to the National Geographic docs, can achieve a speed of 120 km/h in chasing a prey, but unfortunately, it ends up in 30% success rate, on average. The burst of energy and intensity takes a great toll on the predator’s stamina and endurance that impact the outcome. There is a parallel between the predatory world of the big cats and Trump’s diplomatic strategies; a huge burst of energy and intensity but low on outcomes.

His global tariff wars and stance on conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and lately the Republic of South Africa illustrate the low yield assertion. Trump started his tariff war with China imports at 145% and ended up reducing it to paltry 30%! China was expected to reduce its own from 125% to 10%. It also takes a conflicted mindset like that of Trump to accept a gift (a customised Boeing aeroplane) worth $400 million from tiny Qatar, on behalf of the US, a country of 340 million souls that boast of a GDP of $30 trillion! Qatar has only $213 billion GDP (2024) and is projected to reach $220 in 2025 (World Economics, 2025). It has a population of 2.6 million people. Of this number, about 85% are foreigners. The Qatari indigenes are only 340 thousand, which is about 15%. A bilateral economic relationship between the two (US and Qatar) is, therefore, too asymmetric to warrant what Trump did. It’s like snatching a candy from a toddler and saying it dashed and gave it away. A more considerate leader would have declined the Boeing gift out of self-respect. But, not Trump, who prides himself on great ideas but settled for the inconsequential.

Strong or clever assumed preys like Russia and China tend to outsmart Trump and his antics. The long-distance runners in the world of diplomacy wear out their opponents subtly. Like hyenas and jackals, they keep chasing and manoeuvring their prey over a long distance before pouncing on them, eventually. And, unlike Trump’s pursuits, they achieve greater outcomes. For those who understand Trump, it’s easy to use him like a pawn on a chessboard. Just massage his bigoted ego but also keep him at arms length.

Leaders like Putin of Russia, Xi of China, and even Kim of North Korea have seen through Trump and could easily call off his bluff or run rings around him. They have used their diplomatic finese to neutralise him on such issues as Taiwan/China and South China Sea tension, global nuclear proliferation, tariffs, military exercises by North Korea, etc. These guys stand up to him, and within a short space of time, like ambush predators, Trump runs out of ideas or steam.

As a man of bravado, Trump actually never operates in a systemic and cohesive manner. Nor within the US foreign policy frameworks. He works on impulse. Ipso facto, within his first quarter of a year in office, he had cause to sign 152 Executive Orders (EOs). From EO ref.number 14147 to 14289. On the flip side, Trump hasn’t sent or received a single legislative approval for a “major” policy proposal by Congress to date. He operates like the head of a military junta that relies more on decrees than policy frameworks. As a consequence, Trump has inadvertengly rolled back the USA presence in most global fraternities with far-reaching consequences for the nation’s continuous future relevance and dominance.

Through his America First (AF) and Make America Great Again (MAGA), that places higher premium on accumulation of wealth for the US, over universal peace and stability, Trump has succeeded in ceding space to rivals like China and Russia to increase their hegemony around the globe. China and Russia have taken over some of the US’s traditional allies like India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Australia. They also have their growing footings among South American nations like Brazil and Peru. Even neighbouring Mexico and Canada are now looking up to the Asian giant, China, and to a lesser extent, Russia for economic and security relations at the expense of the USA. Trump has single handedly succeeded in creating a multipolar world order that has the potential to diminish the US standing.

After generating huge backlash around the world, towards his “policies” especially from such countries as Canada, China, France etc, Trump directed his predatory ambush to the more vulnerable nations. Like the metaphorical cheetah, he ambushed Zelensky of Ukraine a while ago, and Ramaphosa of South Africa, just of recent. The two episodes took place in the Oval Office before a shocked world. Here was a president using the hands of Esau with the voice of Jacob, so to say. During the two bizarre bouts. Trump didn’t seem to have a mind of his own, but rather kept chorusing the sentiments of those who weld enormous influence over him.

In the case of his spat with Zelensky, Trump was seen holding brief for the Russian President, Putin. He echored Putin’s raison d’tre for the invasion of Ukraine three years ago – the breach by Ukraine not to join the EU over national security concerns. Putin may have a point, but it is not for Trump to become his attorney. After all, Putin has an able foreign minister in Mr. Lavrov. But on account of Putin’s manipulation, Trump literally kept heaping the blame on Zelensky to the extent of calling him an unpopular leader that should be shoved out of office soonest.

With Ramaphosa, Trump was primed by his South African born but US-based protege (maybe his successor in waiting), Elon Musk. Musk was believed to have fed Trump, the narrative that Blacks in South Africa have been committing genocide against white farmers in the country. A development, Trump said, informed his decision to grant them asylum in the US. To buttress his claims and contrary to dictates of diplomatic protocol, the South African president was ambushed with video clips and newspaper cuttings as evidence in the full glare of the world. In the said video, J. Malema, a leader of one of the South Africa ‘s opposition parties, could be heard calling for the killing of white farmers who resist land redistribution in the country.

Trump also went on to show his guests photos of the alleged genocide victims, including their burial processions. Some of which photos have since been debunked. In fact, a lot of the pictures were taken in the war-torn Goma region of the D.R. Congo. Trump, too, forgot that the dramatis personae in the video clip, Malema, is an opposition party leader of the Economic Justice Party, has for long been a thorn in the flesh of successive ANC governments in South Africa. As a self-styled revolutionary, he has the penchant for manipulating the emotional vulnerabilities of black South Africans over their ugly experience under apartheid. He believes it is time for the Blacks to take their pounds of flesh, contrary to icon Mandela’s philosophy of forgiveness.

Malema’s views hardly reflect those of the government of South Africa. Attempts by Ramaphosa to get Trump to reason along this trajectory were rebuffed. Trump would have none of it. Not even when his position was corroborated by Trump-chosen members of the South African delegates that came along with Ramaphosa to the Oval Office. They include golf legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and business mogul Johann Rupert – all whites.

Two factors may have informed the Trump stand on South Africa. Elon Musk’s brainwashing and the ridicule that trailed his declaration of what is happening in South Africa as “genocide.” Many believe the accusation is misplaced. It should instead be reserved for Israeli on account of the carnage it committing against the Gaza inhabitants, especially women and children. Trump might just be trying to hide his guilt for being a party to the Gaza killing fields by diverting attention to the alleged plight of whites in Southern Africa. And, to remain obstinate about it as a strategy.

Trump’s disaffection with the South African government goes beyond the plight of the white farmers. It is believed to be connected with South Africa’s genocide charges preferred against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The US, being a strong supporter of Israel, militarily was joined in the case, to its chagrin. Trump, too, has been critical of South Africa’s membership and prominence in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) economic block. He considers it as a direct challenge to the US global economic prowess. These alleged “crimes” of Ramaphosa only hardened Trump’s position towards South Africa, similar to what transpired between (Trump) and President Zelensky of Ukraine.

In 2016, Trump had asked Zelensky for two favours that would undermine the Biden campaign, which the latter refused to oblige. One, to get evidence of alleged shady deals of Hunter Biden (son of Joe Biden) in Ukraine. Two, to declare that, he Trump was not part of the Russian cyber syndicate that Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails in the build-up to the election. Zelensky did neither. The discomforts caused by Trump by South Africa and Ukrainian authorities may have constituted the “original sins” of Ramaphosa and Zelensky, according to the “Book of Trump” with the alleged instigation of Elon Musk.

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world with a net worth in excess of $420 billion, is a tech dream personified and also a tech dream in motion. A non conformist mavericks looking out to experiment ideas no matter how wild it would seem. A typical “mad” scientist, always on the lookout to push the boundaries of human mental capacity and thought. He has been promoting his vision and version of the world whose governance shall be tech and cyber driven. He envisages a governance system with significant autonomy and limited human involvement and leveraging such technologies as, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoTs), Blockchains, etc. His experience with Tesla, Meta, Starlink, etc, strengthen his resolve to strive harder. Like most initiatives on inventions and/or innovations, the existence of reliable “samples” (guinea pig), and a “laboratory condition” are crucial.Two elements that Elon has been on the lookout for.

Musk seems to have found the two requirements in Trump. His unstable mindset and the job schedule he offered him. The impulsive character makes Trump amenable to wild ideas whilst the given job shall afford him free access to a broad spectrum of the American society as a whole. Luckily, Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a rebranded version of the U.S Digital Service as part of Trump’s administration. Under Musk, so many jobs have been lost to the cybe-world, with thousands more on the line. A plan is also on the advanced stage to put the U.S. Treasury on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency to be driven by Musk’s and/or other tech firms’ technologies. As things where Musk found himself is a dream come true – a strategic position to actualise his own vision of an autonomous governance system. Fortunately, under a maleable American president to serve as a guinea pig, including enormous executive support in facilitating greater reach and latitude.

Musk has surreptitiously gotten Trump fully sucked into his scientific orbit for leverage. How far Trump is aware of this remains a speculation. What is, however, certain is that even if Trump were to be, his unstable temperament and lack of deep intuition would make it hard for him to extricate himself from the Musk tech-webs and global vision. Just like other nations shall soon be. So the wild and animated Trump-ride shall likely be around for a long while.

Despite Trump’s drawbacks, he has some nuisance values in more ways than one. First, with him, one doesn’t have to guess where both you stand, which is good. He affords both friends and foes the opportunity to plan for or against his interests. Second, Trump is changing the practice of conventional diplomacy (American) that has been driven by emotional intelligence and tacit deceit for years. From Trump’s disorganised approach and the traditional model of international relations, the practitioners may come up with a model that fits a globalised and tech driven world. Foreign policy handlers across the world should be watching the unfolding scenario (s) with keen interest.

With Trump in power, Musk might be preparing the world towards the arrival of new crops of the virtual class of politicians to call the shots over the affairs of humans. They are likely to be referred to variously as Dr. Meta, Mr. AI, Alh DeepSeek, Mazi ChatGPT, Prof. Cyborg, Army of Robots, SpaceX, etc, all superintending over humanity; courtesy Elon Musk and his specimens Trump and the US society. However, to emigrate humanity from the real world to something reminiscent of “utopian-virtual” settings could prove very challenging, especially for the non-scientific minds, who incidentally constitute the largest segment of mankind.

The hope is that the world is prepared for unfolding disruptions and the possible grave consequences for humans as emotional beings. The space travels, medical procedures being performed by robots, the use of drones in warfares, the pagers/handset bombs, the autonomous machines/vehicles, the flying cars, growing human organs in labs, the brain-computer chips interface etc, could just be the tip of the iceberg. In the realms of science and technology, things that appear inconceivable at first may end up being inevitable, including Elon Musk’s vision of a cyber-driven autonomous governance system. Humanity should be prepared for the unintended. The world should also unite in keeping such elements as Trump and Musk in check while it strives for a safe and secure civilisation.
A.G.Abubakar agbarewa@gmail.com