He writer starts with a question: Does the Times of Eswatini go on sale in the USA, especially in Washington DC? Well, even if it doesn’t grace the newspaper stalls of that capital city, it’s available on the internet. This is mentioned because Mr Donald Trump appears to have read some recent articles in that journal. Which articles are being referred to? Well, not the visit to the USA of British Monarch King Charles III, making the first such royal journey in 25 years. While on the subject, however, that visit must surely have pushed the UK monarchy up a few notches in the court of public opinion. It has gone through a rough patch in recent times and needed a boost. Devotion
There had been the devotion of son, Prince Harry,
to his glamorous wife, Megan, with loyalty clouding his perception of her capricious style. Their behaviour had precipitated a disappearance from the official royal address book. Perhaps it’s now time for forgiveness. And then there is (former Prince) Andrew, brother to King Charles. His heavily anti-social conduct has extended well beyond the bad mistakes under the ruthless eye of disgraced sex abuser, Jeffrey Epstein. There was also some criticism in the UK of King Charles’ visit to the USA and his planned meeting with its president. This was largely because of the deeply sceptical view in
the UK of the USA’s launch into ‘Operation Epic Fury’ against Iran. Yet the welcome shown by the American parliamentarians and other audiences was greatly encouraging and seems to have brought some repair to a relationship – USA and Europe – that has been on the brink of fragmentation. We should not want the USA to leave NATO, period! Much to the delight of the respective audiences, King Charles cracked a number of good jokes; perhaps the best one being: “The UK has everything in common with America today … except language.” He got that from Oscar Wilde, author and poet of the 19th century. Not personally, of course. Admit
The joke dwells mischievously on the differences that have emerged from what is basically the same language. Reluctant though one is to admit it, a number of the words Americans have produced are rather better than their traditional English equivalent. They clearly did not like a large vehicle being called ‘lorry’, so they called it ‘truck,’ as the rest of the world does when speaking English. Shifting away from other quaint words, again with vehicles, the Americans introduced ‘hood’ instead of ‘bonnet’, and ‘trunk’ in place of ‘boot’. And when the Americans adopted the word ‘apartment’ while the English remained with ‘flat’, it got close to a joke. Do the English, by any chance, call an elegant house a ‘bumpy?’ What would William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens have made of all that? They may well have hung up their pens. This writer has digressed to lengths that should be punishable by a sacking (another strange word – what’s the sack for?). What, you might ask, would cause one to imagine that Mr Donald Trump, a man who probably even wears that ‘USA’ cap in bed, has ventured to read a national journal of a small African kingdom, namely the Times of Eswatin Well, there is one good reason for believing that. Because, when compared with the crude abuse in the threats of earlier weeks, Mr Trump then started to talk more like a gentleman. In a Truth Social post on May 7, 2026, he even included the word ‘sadly’ among his threatening words. Could he have read our articles, turned to his close gang of sycophants and asked: “Have I been that rude?” It’s doubtful, especially given his quasi-genocidal words, 10 days later, about Iran: “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of: Them?, Surely not.” Yet followed almost immediately with ‘serious negotiations are now taking place’. The USA Government is clearly getting increasingly desperate for a satisfactory and sustainable peace agreement. Substantial fuel price increases are very unpopular; the political pressure is building. Trump’s recent meeting with China’s Xi has diverted some attention from the president’s warmongering and more to productive diplomacy between the two giants of the world. Though ‘sadly’, it included emerging doubts regarding the USA military support for our good friend Taiwan. Misjudged
At every turn, the USA has misjudged the Islamic Republic of Iran. A country under military control, albeit with emerging public statements by its new supreme leader, will worry less about domestic economics and human well-being. Iran does need peace, but might last the conflict longer than its opponent, who it now calls ‘the enemy’. Despite the hitherto intractability of both sides, we really hope we are looking down the home strait (as in the 400 metres track race), encouraged by a clear view along another strait – that of Hormuz. Demands for an immediate end to respective aqua blockages are a major sticking point, as well as Iran’s continuing nuclear capability and the hostile determination of Israel. The opponents must also be more honest about who is attacking and who is simply defending, and exactly what each side is offering to the other. But while there is talking, we can be hoping.
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