Lasting love or a one-time affair?
They say politics make for strange bedfellows. Nothing could be stranger than two business leaders whispering sweet nothings into each others ears Nawaz Sharif and Donald Trump.
The language of business, I am told, is universal. It is not all about the almighty dollar either. There is an unspoken respect and understanding among businessmen which makes it so easy for them to relate to each other. They are risk takers, smart, opportunistic, and dont let naysayers get in their way.
A successful business person knows how to work with the cards dealt to him. He has to be smarter than his competition, plan his strategy like a military general, have diplomatic skills to navigate the landscape and financial acumen to get the job done. But wait till you give a successful businessman a country to runhang on to your seat belts! It will be a memorable ride of a lifetime. You will get results, like it or not. What do Sharif and Trump have in common? They are CEOs of their respective countries. The buck stops with them, no excuses! Both have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. It is both their love for their country and maybe even more than that, their egos that drives them. They have financial independence. As Donald Trump reminds people, he doesnt owe anyone, anything. Ego, power and success are a mind-blowing combination!
Being business people, they know the Art of Negotiation. Rules? nah! They dont follow rules as they like to keep their subjects guessing. Their business smarts prompts them to hold on to their trump card. They never wear their real emotions and thoughts on their sleeves. Keep the other side off-balance. Be deliberate, thoughtful, practical and tactical. Be unpredictable when you need to be, thats their secret weapons. Indeed, its a powerful negotiation tactic. They dont play the blame-game; they dont get bogged down by minutiae. Instead, they are creative in getting things done, keeping the big picture in mind and knowing more than their adversaries. This is true power. Trump won because he knew all along that the masses in the Rust Belt states the Midwest were voting for him; whereas the US media and Hillary Clinton campaign were blindsided by all the polls that till the last day predicted a Hillary win. Similarly, Nawaz Sharif knew he would win and not Imran Khan in the 2013 elections, despite pundits predicting that Imran Khan would be the prime minister.
So, will this passionate love affair last? I think so. It is based on mutual respect, like any good long lasting relationship. It is not born in a moment of heated passion, but a well thought through business plan that these two men will implement. Pakistan and the US will both benefit since this is a win/win for both. In Donald Trumps eyes Nawaz Sharif is terrific; Pakistanis are fantastic and one of the most intelligent people. So impressed is Trump with the country and its prime minister, that hes ready and willing to play any role that you [Nawaz Sharif]want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems.
Such ardour from soon-to-be the most powerful man in the world is music to Nawaz Sharifs blushing ears. But, like any relationship, there will be ups and down. Recently, Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the PM, was in Washington to carry back a special invite from Trump to his inaugural for his boss, who cant wait to meet his admirer face to face. There will be some cooks spoiling the love broth, India for example. But the bond that was established from 12,000 kilometres via a distant phone call is a bond that love stories are made of. Lets hope so!
Meanwhile, the 85-billion-dollar man, reportedly the richest in the world, Vladimir Putin, too is a businessman who wants to do business with Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif is waiting to be wooed by Putin, just as Trump has done. Moscow wishes to join in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by linking its own Eurasian Economic Union project with the CPEC. Has Putins Russia taken on a new admirer? His bromance with Modis India appears to be replaced with Pakistans Nawaz Sharif. Flushed with a new-found love, flowing aplenty from Putin and Trump, our PM sits counting his blessings and cash.
The Forbes Magazine, 2016, ranks Putin as worlds # 1 most powerful person and Donald Trump as # 2. Whats more, the two run a mutual admiration society. Never mind if CIA and FBI accuse Putin of hacking the Democratic Partys emails to facilitate friend Trumps victory. Lame-duck President Obama told the US media last week that when he met Putin this September I told him to cut it out! about Russian interference in US elections. Yeah! As if Putin cared? If it was that serious, surely the news would have been hollered from the rooftop of the White House and the Clintons home. Did the US media raise a hue and cry? No! Instead, it gleefully aired the hacked contents.
The new year could well see a love triangle between Russia, America and Pakistan. But dont forget, this friendship is transactional between the three businessmen leaders. Already, Russian military hardware has found a new buyer: Pakistan. What remains now is for Nawaz Sharif to go to Washington, invite Trumps two sons, Donald Jr and Eric, to invest big time in Pakistan. Trump boys may want to build a 7-Star resort somewhere high up in the breathtaking mountains of Pakistan. Should Sharif want to seal the deal with Trumps sons, pay them by becoming a million-dollar donor to the Opening Day 2017 event, which is the day after inauguration, to receive a private audience with President Donald J Trump. Maryam Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hassan can accompany their dad.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2016.
They say politics make for strange bedfellows. Nothing could be stranger than two business leaders whispering sweet nothings into each others ears Nawaz Sharif and Donald Trump.
The language of business, I am told, is universal. It is not all about the almighty dollar either. There is an unspoken respect and understanding among businessmen which makes it so easy for them to relate to each other. They are risk takers, smart, opportunistic, and dont let naysayers get in their way.
A successful business person knows how to work with the cards dealt to him. He has to be smarter than his competition, plan his strategy like a military general, have diplomatic skills to navigate the landscape and financial acumen to get the job done. But wait till you give a successful businessman a country to runhang on to your seat belts! It will be a memorable ride of a lifetime. You will get results, like it or not. What do Sharif and Trump have in common? They are CEOs of their respective countries. The buck stops with them, no excuses! Both have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. It is both their love for their country and maybe even more than that, their egos that drives them. They have financial independence. As Donald Trump reminds people, he doesnt owe anyone, anything. Ego, power and success are a mind-blowing combination!
Being business people, they know the Art of Negotiation. Rules? nah! They dont follow rules as they like to keep their subjects guessing. Their business smarts prompts them to hold on to their trump card. They never wear their real emotions and thoughts on their sleeves. Keep the other side off-balance. Be deliberate, thoughtful, practical and tactical. Be unpredictable when you need to be, thats their secret weapons. Indeed, its a powerful negotiation tactic. They dont play the blame-game; they dont get bogged down by minutiae. Instead, they are creative in getting things done, keeping the big picture in mind and knowing more than their adversaries. This is true power. Trump won because he knew all along that the masses in the Rust Belt states the Midwest were voting for him; whereas the US media and Hillary Clinton campaign were blindsided by all the polls that till the last day predicted a Hillary win. Similarly, Nawaz Sharif knew he would win and not Imran Khan in the 2013 elections, despite pundits predicting that Imran Khan would be the prime minister.
So, will this passionate love affair last? I think so. It is based on mutual respect, like any good long lasting relationship. It is not born in a moment of heated passion, but a well thought through business plan that these two men will implement. Pakistan and the US will both benefit since this is a win/win for both. In Donald Trumps eyes Nawaz Sharif is terrific; Pakistanis are fantastic and one of the most intelligent people. So impressed is Trump with the country and its prime minister, that hes ready and willing to play any role that you [Nawaz Sharif]want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems.
Such ardour from soon-to-be the most powerful man in the world is music to Nawaz Sharifs blushing ears. But, like any relationship, there will be ups and down. Recently, Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the PM, was in Washington to carry back a special invite from Trump to his inaugural for his boss, who cant wait to meet his admirer face to face. There will be some cooks spoiling the love broth, India for example. But the bond that was established from 12,000 kilometres via a distant phone call is a bond that love stories are made of. Lets hope so!
Meanwhile, the 85-billion-dollar man, reportedly the richest in the world, Vladimir Putin, too is a businessman who wants to do business with Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif is waiting to be wooed by Putin, just as Trump has done. Moscow wishes to join in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by linking its own Eurasian Economic Union project with the CPEC. Has Putins Russia taken on a new admirer? His bromance with Modis India appears to be replaced with Pakistans Nawaz Sharif. Flushed with a new-found love, flowing aplenty from Putin and Trump, our PM sits counting his blessings and cash.
The Forbes Magazine, 2016, ranks Putin as worlds # 1 most powerful person and Donald Trump as # 2. Whats more, the two run a mutual admiration society. Never mind if CIA and FBI accuse Putin of hacking the Democratic Partys emails to facilitate friend Trumps victory. Lame-duck President Obama told the US media last week that when he met Putin this September I told him to cut it out! about Russian interference in US elections. Yeah! As if Putin cared? If it was that serious, surely the news would have been hollered from the rooftop of the White House and the Clintons home. Did the US media raise a hue and cry? No! Instead, it gleefully aired the hacked contents.
The new year could well see a love triangle between Russia, America and Pakistan. But dont forget, this friendship is transactional between the three businessmen leaders. Already, Russian military hardware has found a new buyer: Pakistan. What remains now is for Nawaz Sharif to go to Washington, invite Trumps two sons, Donald Jr and Eric, to invest big time in Pakistan. Trump boys may want to build a 7-Star resort somewhere high up in the breathtaking mountains of Pakistan. Should Sharif want to seal the deal with Trumps sons, pay them by becoming a million-dollar donor to the Opening Day 2017 event, which is the day after inauguration, to receive a private audience with President Donald J Trump. Maryam Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hassan can accompany their dad.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2016.
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