As I re-watch The Game of Thrones, I could not help but compare the Mad King with the one who now sits on the throne in Washington.
I read the stories about how leaders from other countries tiptoe around Trump, trying to avoid him as much as possible.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US President Donald Trump that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never do so in the future.
In doing so, PM Modi firmly nullified Trump’s repeated, unsubstantiated, and seemingly fictional claims of mediating the India-Pakistan ceasefire during the May flare-up.
The one-on-one discussion also appeared to be the most appropriate channel to refute the claims made by the US.
Being candid is never easy, not even with friends or colleagues. That’s why the Prime Minister’s message directly to the President of the US is notable, particularly when the recipient is someone as famously blunt and uncouth as Donald Trump.
One must also note that diplomatic norms rarely see friendly nations publicly accusing each other of dishonesty or lies. Had PM Modi chosen to respond via social media, as Trump often does, it would have been perceived as a pointed snub. Unlike Trump, Modi avoided the “fastest finger first” approach, opting for a more measured and statesmanlike path.
There was domestic political pressure, too. The Opposition demanded clarification on the US’s repeated assertions — perhaps fair, given the US’s persistence — but it might have been a major diplomatic blunder for the PM to issue an official statement declaring the ceasefire a strictly bilateral issue, with no involvement of the US.
They whispered names of people to the Mad King, and he would have them burned alive. Trump is not that bad, yet, but people seem to disappear when picked up by masked men claiming to be from ICE (White Walkers). What they do with the disappeared, one can only wonder.
At least the White Walkers did not wear masks to hide who they were.
