Apr 27, 2026 12:06 pm IST

The 'Donnyland' Donnybrook: How To Conduct Foreign Policy In The Age Of Ego-Geopolitics

What's next after Ukraine's 'Donnyland'? Arc De Trumphe? Mount Trump-more? Trump Mahal?

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor MP, Columnist

Shashi Tharoor MP, Columnist

History used to be written by the victors; now, it's being rebranded by developers. Forget the Westphalian system of sovereign states and boring, bureaucratic borders. We are entering the era of "Ego-Geopolitics," where the price of peace isn't a treaty signed in a gilded hall, but a licensing agreement for a five-star hotel with gold-plated bidets.

The latest revelation from the front lines of the Donbas - or as the locals may soon call it, "Donland" - is a masterclass in modern statecraft. According to reports, Ukrainian negotiators, displaying a level of dark humour usually reserved for the gallows, suggested renaming a slice of their war-torn territory of Donbas, in honour of the 45th (and 47th) President, as Donnyland. The logic is as impeccable as it is terrifying: if you want the leader of the free world to defend a ditch in Eastern Europe, you'd better make sure his name is on the deed.

Donnyland is merely the latest addition to a growing global portfolio of "Compliment Diplomacy". Poland set the pace years ago with the proposed "Fort Trump", a military base designed to be the ultimate piece of presidential merchandising. Not to be outdone, Armenia and Azerbaijan reportedly christened a transit corridor the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity". It's a bit wordy for a GPS, but TRIPP certainly beats "The Highway of Eternal Ethnic Strife".........

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