It's time we stopped worrying about keeping Trump happy

The rather muted response from Western leaders to Donald Trump's extraordinary seizure of Nicolas Maduro over the weekend was predictable. We are still at a point in geopolitics where no one wants to upset the Trump administration.

- LUKE MCGEE

Most of America's Western allies declined to criticise Trump and instead celebrated the end of the Maduro era, going only so far as to urge restraint from the White House over what comes next. The fact that Maduro is an internationally recognised wrong 'un certainly made it easier to clap along. But the overriding priority has been to avoid the ire of a thin-skinned man who, for better or worse, leads a nation that remains the most important player in what is left of the Western world order.

Whatever personal reservations one may have about Trump and his way of doing business, there is no country on Earth that matches the United States in terms of combined military might, economic power and diplomatic influence. For its historic allies, particularly in Europe, remaining on friendly terms with Trump is viewed as critical to national security and stability. Whatever petulant outburst might emanate from the White House, it is far easier to manage Trump and bring him round to your way of thinking while on friendly terms rather than hostile ones.