The pendulum on the world scene is swinging increasingly East. It is no coincidence that it coincides with the inward shifts of leading Western powers, away from their traditional roles as guarantors of Western liberalism, freedom and democracy.

After the election of President Donald Trump, I warned that his moving away from the existing world order, in which freedom and equality, anchored in Western liberalism and democracy, played a central role, will have a global impact, also in SA.

Concrete examples are how Trump embraces dictators and pushes away traditional allies, the most blatant example being his refusal to condemn the Saudi crown prince for the brutal murders of an American-based journalist in the Turkish consulate, simply because economic ties are more important than basic human rights and freedom of expression.

We are already living in a new reality of isolationism and narrow nationalism and people like AfriForum that are warming up to Trump and his white nationalist followers and conservatives in Australia with the hope that they will intervene in South Africa, are out of touch with reality.

Now, more than ever, we are the architects of our own future. We will have to find our own solutions internally.

Dawie Jacobs, Sterrewag, Tshwane