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It is extraordinary how impactful Donald Trump’s election has been. Without yet taking office, he is already bestriding the world stage. Thus, no sooner had Trump won the election than Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine may be willing to cede some territory to bring its war with Russia to an end, after all. Simply by winning the election, Trump might bring the Russia-Ukraine war to a halt.

Next, Trump threatened to rain destruction on Hamas if all hostages, Israeli and American, are not released prior to his inauguration. I think Hamas might do it. The Times of Israel reports: “Isolated Hamas faces collapsing negotiating stance after drastic Trump threat.” And today, Israeli hostage families reached out directly to Trump:

The families of seven Israel hostages begged President-elect Donald Trump to put his foot down and get their loved ones released – even if it means getting tough with US allies.

Trump, set to return to office Jan. 20, should exert pressure on countries in the Middle East such as Qatar to end the hostages’ lengthy imprisonments, the families said in a joint letter dated Tuesday.

The families begged Trump to act “TODAY,” not to wait until he is inaugurated.

In France, a devastating fire five years ago gutted the Cathedral de Notre Dame. The cathedral has now been renovated, restored with historical precision to its original glory, and it will re-open next weekend. This is a huge event in France. (Coincidentally, I was in Paris a few weeks ago and just missed the opportunity to tour the cathedral.) A number of world leaders will assemble to celebrate Notre Dame’s re-opening, but Joe Biden won’t be there. Donald Trump will be. France’s Emmanuel Macron reportedly begged Trump to attend:

Emmanuel Macron pleaded with Donald Trump to attend the grand re-opening of Notre Dame in a long phone call, it has emerged.

Sources close to the French president said he was determined to see Mr Trump in Paris this weekend, when the cathedral opens its doors to the public for the first time since a devastating fire five years ago.
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Mr Macron and Mr Trump spoke about a range of foreign policy issues on Saturday afternoon before agreeing “to continue their discussions on the sidelines of the ceremonies at Notre Dame,” Le Monde reported.

I doubt that there is any precedent for a president-elect assuming such international importance prior to his inauguration. To some extent, this may be due to the fact that Trump has a certain status as a former president. To a greater extent, it reflects the fact that Joe Biden is a nonentity–a president in name only. But most of all, I think it reflects a hunger for strong and effective leadership across the Western world. Let’s hope that Trump can live up to the expectations.