Augusto Manzanal Ciancaglini
Political Scientist
The unpredictable and politically incorrect diplomacy of Trump administration has a very dynamic face: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has presented himself through his stealthy intervention in the rapprochement of the United States and North Korea, which became visible with the historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, but it really materializes in his contribution to the rapprochement between the two Koreas.
Later, Pompeo, in a short period of time, warned China that it must “behave like a normal nation in commerce”, declared that “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism”, and also remembered Venezuela: “Nicolás Maduro behaves like dictators do”.
He then visited Riyadh to meet the Saudi King for the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and immediately traveled to hear the Turkish version. All while taking the opportunity to pressure Saudis about the war in Yemen and then the Mexicans regarding the caravan of migrants.
In this way, from his behavior and surname emerges the figure of a historic character, because Pompeo in Italian means nothing more and nothing less than Pompey.
Both have their family origin in the same region of Italy and the Roman was with the Optimates, the conservatives of the Roman Republic. However, the fact that most relates them is reflected on the image of a powerful hair: Lucius Cornelius Sulla ruled Rome in turbulent times, like his golden red hair, and the polarization between Populares and Optimates factions ennobled Pompey to the inner circle of Sulla.
Similarly, when Pompeo was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, he entered the Donald Trump environment by personally delivering the daily national security reports.
Pompey, as a man of confidence of Sulla, was sent to fight to the varied and distant domains of Rome with the same frequency that Pompeo is sent by Trump to defend the interests of the United States in every corner of the world.
The different historical contexts transform the warrior journeys of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus into the diplomatic journeys of Mike Pompeo. Given Trump’s background, it remains to be seen whether the literal decapitation of the Roman Consul does not translate into the metaphorical one of the US Secretary of State.
16/11/2018. © All rights reserved
