Bangladesh, March 9 -- In his address to Congress this week, Trump has just vowed to reshape his country in a “common sense revolution”. A spectre is haunting his plans, though: it is a powerful beast, which has been variously named (“deep state”, “military-industrial complex” etc). “Defense sector” should suffice for us. This multi-billion force, however, is far from being the new US Presidents only problem, for his “bullying” style makes him an enemy-making machine. It is worth delving into that.

When it comes to foreign policy Trump seems to have little consideration for the notion of “soft power” – his undoing of USAID (challenged by the Supreme Court) and ...