Shortly after Donald Trump’s election, phone calls and other messages of congratulations began coming in. Some were a bit more, shall we say… measured than others. One very pointed example of this was the “congratulations” the President Elect received from Germany’s Angela Merke and her deputy chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel. (Washington Post)

“Germany and America are bound by common values — democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of each and every person, regardless of their origin, skin color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or political views. It is based on these values that I wish to offer close cooperation, both with me personally and between our countries’ governments.”

Her deputy chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, was far more blunt: “Trump is the trailblazer of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. … They want a rollback to the bad old times in which women belonged by the stove or in bed, gays in jail and unions at best at the side table. And he who doesn’t keep his mouth shut gets publicly bashed.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum was the video message sent in from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Take a moment to watch this brief greeting. It really couldn’t be warmer and more hopeful.

Haaretz covered the exchange and left little doubt that Israel’s leadership was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Trump to our mutual advantage.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement congratulating Trump, saying: “President-elect Trump is a true friend of the State of Israel. We will work together to advance the security, stability and peace in our region. The strong connection between the United States and Israel is based on shared values, shared interests and a shared destiny.

“I’m certain that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between Israel and the United States, and bring it to new heights,” he added.

For his part, the President Elect wasted no time in inviting Netanyahu to return to Washington and sit down for some serious talks. (Daily Mail)

President-elect Donald Trump has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to the US for talks ‘at the first opportunity’.

The billionaire spoke with the Israeli prime minister on Wednesday morning hours after his stunning triumph over Hillary Clinton.

Netanhyahu called Trump a ‘true friend of Israel’ and said their conversation was ‘hearty and warm’ and regional issues were discussed.

The reason I highlighted both of these messages is to showcase what appears to be a changing of the guard, not just in the United States, but around the world. Merkel has long been hailed as one of the most successful, powerful and influential leaders in all of the European Union. But over the past eighteen months or so the refugee crisis has taken a massive toll on her position. She’s embraced open borders (until very recently) and the influx of an army of primarily Muslim migrants which has led to no end of problems and plummeting favorability numbers. She’s suffered huge losses in recent regional elections and all signs point to a similar trend in Germany’s next round of national elections.

By contrast, Netanyahu and his nation have been constantly besieged by critics in Europe and the United Nations while simultaneously being under literal attack by enemies at his own borders. But his popularity seems to be on the rise and his relationship with the United States appears to be in for a major boost in the coming months after years of tense relations with Barack Obama.

With all the talk of doom, gloom, fear and anxiety in the American press, perhaps things aren’t so dark and dismal after all.