One consolation to all this “Gulf of America” nonsense was that, as something done by executive order, it would be just as easy to undo when all of this is over. Was. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would codify the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” into law—not only requiring federal agencies to comply with the change, but once signed into law it would take another statute to undo the change. The bill is now off to the Senate. CNN, Guardian.
Meanwhile, another gulf is in Donald Trump’s sights. He’s apparently planning to announce that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or Arabian Gulf during his trip to the Middle East next week: CNN, Guardian. The move is guaranteed (and possibly intended) to piss off the Iranians, who have been touchy about any attempts to use Arabian Gulf instead of Persian Gulf for decades (previously: 1, 2).
Which one’s next, do you think? Or will he go full nuclear and take sides on the Sea of Japan/East Sea dispute?
Previously: Naming the Gulf; Google Maps to Use ‘Gulf of America’–Others Not So Much; More Reactions to ‘Gulf of America’; Google and the Gulf; ‘Gulf of America’: Apple Conforms, AP Punished for Not Doing So; ‘Gulf of America’ Isn’t Going Over Well; Is ‘Gulf of Mexico’ Worth Fighting For?; ‘Gulf of America’: Compliance and Resistance; A ‘Gulf of America’ Roundup; ‘Gulf of America’ Update: AP Sues White House Officials; If You Thought There Would Be Nothing More to Report About the ‘Gulf of America’ Nonsense, You Were Mistaken.
