From Israel to Russia and from Slovenia to the Philippines; All the Countries Celebrating Trump's Victory

Donald Trump's victory as the 45th President of the United States has shocked part of the American populace and protests continue to fill the streets of cities across the country. However, several countries, from Israel to Russia, have celebrated this victory with joy. Leaders from these nations have attempted to diplomatically and politely establish good relations with Mr. Trump from the outset, congratulating him. Yet, leaders from Israel, Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Egypt, the Philippines, and several other countries have openly regarded Trump as a 'friendly ally.' Iran appears to be concerned about the cancellation of the JCPOA; Mexico has emphasized that Trump will not pay for a wall on the shared border; Ukraine fears an improvement in US-Russia relations; Cuba, which recently normalized relations with the US after efforts by Barack Obama, announced military maneuvers in anticipation of a potential confrontation with the 'enemy' after Trump's victory. Leaders in many countries, if not out of dissatisfaction and fear, are waiting for more details on Trump's foreign policy plans. However, others have openly breathed a sigh of relief following Hillary Clinton's defeat, who was seen as the 'continuation of Barack Obama's policies.' Israeli media, citing Reuters and analyses from other news agencies, have identified several 'happy' countries and their reasons for satisfaction with the Republican candidate's victory in the US elections: Russia's ambassador to Tehran, Hlavin Jagarian, and several other Russian diplomats denied that Russia had any contact with Donald Trump, but Sergei Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, stated that individuals in his team had been in touch with Trump's associates. Trump and Vladimir Putin had praised each other in recent months without ever meeting; Trump referred to the Russian President as 'very talented' and a 'strong leader.' Trump emphasized his readiness for good relations and cooperation against terrorism; after his victory, Vladimir Putin sent a message to Mr. Trump stating that 'we must work together to serve our countries and find solutions to international security issues.' Russian diplomats had stated that relations between Russia and Obama had fallen to 'the lowest level since the Cold War.' Obama had repeatedly said during his campaign that Trump praises Putin, a former KGB agent, while he only met Putin for work-related reasons. Reuters quoted Russian journalist Georgy Bobet as saying, 'If Trump says that the US has nothing to do with the Ukraine issue, it will be a turning point for Russia.' Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, another global leader who has had a difficult relationship with Barack Obama and the White House, was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory in a phone call and discussed 'ways to improve relations and cooperate against terrorism.' Turkey had been frustrated with Obama for not extraditing Fethullah Gülen, an exiled cleric in Pennsylvania whom Erdogan accused of being the 'planner' of last summer's failed coup. Following the coup attempt, Erdogan arrested tens of thousands and dismissed many more from their positions in the military and various institutions in Turkey on suspicion of connections to the coup plotters. Trump had stated that 'the US should not criticize the Turkish government; what right do we have to criticize human rights in another place?' Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the first Arab leader to congratulate Trump on Wednesday morning, earlier than any other official among Arab and Islamic countries, and invited him to Cairo. The Egyptian presidency stated that Sisi 'hopes that Mr. Trump's presidency will bring a new spirit to the relations between the two countries and strengthen peace, stability, and development in the Middle East.' Sisi had met Trump during his visit to New York a month and a half ago on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly; he was the only Arab leader to meet both Trump and his Democratic rival at the UN. Some observers noted that Sisi expressed satisfaction with what he heard from Trump, and Trump explicitly praised Sisi's 'power, leadership, and wisdom.' Sisi's government viewed Obama and especially Hillary Clinton, when she was Secretary of State, as 'partners' of the Muslim Brotherhood in overthrowing the stable government of Hosni Mubarak in January 2011 and complained about Obama's dissatisfaction with the prosecution of Muslim Brotherhood forces after Sisi's government came to power three years ago. In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who has been labeled the 'cursing president' by some in the Philippines, recently caused a diplomatic rift between Washington and Manila with his insults directed at Obama and the US. Duterte had canceled a joint military exercise with the US shortly before expressing his satisfaction with Trump's victory, stating that he would only renew these exercises if Trump won. Reports indicate that Duterte hopes Trump will not interfere in his domestic policies, including his crackdown on drug traffickers, a war that has resulted in thousands of deaths. Duterte had called Obama 'disrespectful' and worse, stating he would not tolerate Obama lecturing him on human rights. Duterte stated, 'Why are you upset? Trump and I speak plainly and say what we feel; we both curse quickly; we are the same; long live Mr. Trump.' Hungary's Viktor Orban is among the European leaders who supported Trump even before his victory. This prominent right-wing politician, a staunch opponent of migrants flooding 'Christian lands,' stated that 'Trump is a better option for Europe than Hillary Clinton.' Orban, who recently ordered barbed wire to be installed on Hungary's southern borders to prevent migrants from the Middle East, considers Trump's proposals a 'guarantee of security' for Europe. Expressing joy over Trump's victory, Orban stated, 'Clarity and real culture are returning to democracy, freeing us from the undemocratic impositions that have prevented us from speaking our minds.' Orban described recent democracies as 'illiberal' and stated, 'especially in the last twenty years, we have been trapped by ideology.' Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right party, also expressed deep satisfaction with Trump's victory, asserting that she and her party would win in the upcoming French elections. All right-wing parties in Europe are encouraged by Trump's victory and have stated they hope to achieve greater victories in the next elections. In Israel, Trump repeatedly stated during his campaign that 'Obama was the biggest disaster for Israel, America's closest friend in the Middle East; Obama imposed the worst deal with Iran (the JCPOA) on the world.' Three years ago, during his election campaign, Trump referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a 'strong, wise, and admirable leader' in a video message to Jews and Israelis. Trump and his Vice President, Mike Pence, sent a delegation from their campaign to Jerusalem two weeks ago to convey their messages to Israelis and emphasize their unwavering support for Israel. Netanyahu had stated before the US elections that whichever candidate won would be 'good for Israel,' and urged ministers not to express support for either candidate; however, Israeli media reported that Trump's victory brought the greatest sense of relief to the Israeli government. Naftali Bennett, Israel's Minister of Education and a senior member of the coalition government, explicitly stated that this development 'is an opportunity for Israel to nullify the idea of establishing a Palestinian state.' Jewish leaders in the Palestinian territories have also told Israeli media that Netanyahu's government should feel free to expand settlements without fear of US criticism, as 'the US will no longer intervene in settlement issues.' Slovenia's reasons for celebrating Trump's victory differ from those of people around the world; their compatriot Melania is becoming the First Lady of the United States. In Sevnica, a village in Slovenia where Melania Knauss was born 46 years ago, the American flag has been raised with joy by the people. When Melania was born, this village was part of Yugoslavia. Melania moved to the US as a model ten years ago; she has had a US residency card for 15 years and has been a US citizen for ten years. She married Donald Trump in 2005 and is his third wife. Melania, who will move to the White House on January 20 with the 45th President and their ten-year-old son Barron, is the first foreign First Lady of the United States in 196 years. Before Melania, the first and only foreign First Lady of the United States was Louisa Catherine Adams, the British wife of John Quincy Adams, who held the title from 1825 to 1829.