Trump's pardoning spree.

'THEY aren't coming to this country, if I am elected' was one of the pledges Donald Trump made on his campaign trail and that, unlike many others of his obnoxious promises - such as the Mexican wall - the American president dutifully implemented. No wonder, banning the entry into the US of people from seven (reduced to six later on) Muslim countries was one of the earliest decisions he made as president.

Recently, in keeping with his parochial bent of mind that he has made no attempt to disguise, the president extended executive clemency to four Blackwater security guards convicted for the cold-blooded murder of 14 (17 according to the Iraqi version) civilians in Baghdad in 2007 - an act condemned not just by the Iraqi people but by many Americans too, including Congressmen. 'Our blood is cheaper than water', said a Baghdad student, while retired US general, Mark Hertling, called the pardon 'egregious and disgusting', and added an apt rebuke: 'Shame on you, Mr President!'

For pardoning those responsible for the crime at Baghdad's Nisour Square, Mr Trump had two insular motives: first, the victims must be largely Muslim; second, Blackwater was...