In a move that has been met with widespread condemnation, US President Donald Trump has announced the renaming of the Irish Sea to the British Sea. This latest act of what many are calling 'semantic vandalism' follows a string of controversial executive orders from the Trump administration, including the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America'. The article explores the implications of this latest move, examining its historical context, the reactions from around the world, and the broader implications for international relations.
The Irish Sea is to be renamed the British Sea – and from now on underwear will be worn on the outside. A few years ago this would have seemed no more absurd than a US president renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Part of Donald Trump’s malign genius is to make the impossible seem commonplace. Having scraped a majority of parliamentary seats at the general election, he summons reporters to a press conference at Downing Street.
His desk groans beneath vellum scrolls, each decorated with ribbon and wax seal. You know? The sort of things King John unrolled in The Adventures of Robin Hood. The death penalty is to be reintroduced and retrospectively applied to all those who threw milkshakes at the incoming prime minister. All sweets, drawn from an approved list that includes humbugs, acid drops and aniseed balls, must now be again sold from big glass jars. And the Irish Sea is to be renamed the British Sea. Part of Donald Trump’s malign genius is to make the impossible seem commonplace. His executive order on geographical nomenclature will have nothing like the practical effect of his policies on immigration, healthcare or foreign aid. But it can hardly be bettered as an example of how he scorns hitherto accepted norms. Europe will not be part of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Trump envoy says. European leaders left in stunned silence as JD Vance harangues them over approach to far right. Can he even do this? It’s not as if the Gulf of Mexico – almost entirely international waters – is some constituent part of the United States. Isn’t this like me standing on my doorstep in ceremonial doublet and announcing that Dublin Bay will be renamed for my cat? He is increasingly sounding like the victorious rebel leader in the Woody Allen film Bananas as he declared that from then on “underwear will be worn on the outside”. Seemed crazy last week. New normal now. It hardly needs to be said that countries such as, oh, I don’t know, Mexico are having none of it. It seems unlikely that many European publications will – echoing their ongoing confusion with a popular social-media site – be lumbering readers with “Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico)” when recommending holidays in Cancún. But the corporate United States has proved depressingly compliant with the new regime’s dicta. Google Maps has already changed Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on the US site. There will be no alterations for Mexican users, but elsewhere in the world Googlers now see “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”. Associated Press, an international news organisation, has refused to alter its stylebook and is paying the price. “This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing,” the agency, adding that it had been warned it would be barred “if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico”. All very weird. All very sinister. Disputes rage over the names of maritime regions throughout the world. Is it the Arabian Gulf or the Persian Gulf? Google straddles the difference with “Persian Gulf (also known as the Arabian Gulf)”. The Irish Times deems it simply “the Gulf”. The Sea of Japan is that to the Japanese and the “East Sea” to the Koreans. The difference here is that, until a few weeks ago, no such dispute raged over the Gulf of Mexico. The people of Bahrain and South Korea have, reasonably enough, strong feelings about how neighbouring bodies of water are identified. Nobody in Louisiana or Alabama gave a damn until Trump made an issue of it. The proclamation is a supreme example of his urge to move fast and break things. It also reflects his need to manufacture discord where none exists. Trump is, however, missing a semantic nuance here. The Gulf of Mexico, in American minds, is (was?) so named because that’s how you get to Mexico from the United States. The case is similar with the Irish Sea. If we were idiots we might argue that the Irish Sea should be named the British Sea as it’s what lies between us and that island. The current name is, arguably, an instance of Anglocentrism. (Let’s not confuse things by pondering the English Channel). That might be enough to dissuade Farage when he comes to power in four years’ time. Meanwhile nobody much considers what those on the Isle of Man think of it all
GEOGRAPHY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLITICS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNITED STATES
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Here's What Team STELLAR Is Loving This WeekSTELLAR Magazine, Irish Fashion, Irish Women's Magazine, Irish Beauty, shops in Ireland, celebrity news, glossy magazine, Fade Street, make-up tips, Irish style, Vip Magazine Group
Read more »
5 Lip Balms To Get You Through The Cold SpellSTELLAR Magazine, Irish Fashion, Irish Women's Magazine, Irish Beauty, shops in Ireland, celebrity news, glossy magazine, Fade Street, make-up tips, Irish style, Vip Magazine Group
Read more »
Elevating Queer Irish Storytelling With Dollar Baby’sElevating Queer Irish Storytelling With Dollar Baby’s Elevating Queer Irish Storytelling With Dollar Baby’s
Read more »
The Irish Times view on Irish language exemptions: protecting a shared experienceWe need to look more broadly at how we teach the language given that so many students leave school with relatively poor standards
Read more »
Irish Pub Owners Unaffected by Lidl's First Irish PubWhile Lidl has received permission to open a pub in its Dundonald store in Northern Ireland, Irish pub owners in the Republic aren't worried about losing business. Industry experts say it's very difficult for supermarkets in Ireland to obtain the necessary planning permission to open a bar on their premises.
Read more »
Irish and NI governments called on to ‘urgently resolve’ Irish-language fundingForas na Gaeilge announces funding cuts over €817,945 shortfall in this year’s budget
Read more »