The world at a T-junction

U.S. President Donald Trump is saluted by a military official as he departs from the capitol for the inaugural parade after his swearing in at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS

YESTERDAY, Jan 20, 2017, marked the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J Trump. Next week, the Lunar Year of the Monkey ends, ushering in the Year of the Rooster. This is where monkey business ends and the chickens come home to roost.

Trump’s election marks a watershed between the old liberal order and a new populist phase that is clearly a rejection of the old order. Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer defined this change as “Goodbye to the West” – a concept that the US was committed to the defence of its allies, mostly Western Europe, Australia and Japan.