DAVID BOND Jul 23, 2018 The Daily Courier,Kelowna, B.C.,Canada
Many people believe that the current state of affairs stemming from the actions and words of Donald Trump are just an aberration and that the traditional “normal” state will return once he leaves the White House.
I disagree.I think we face a difficult period ahead while we, the U.S. and the rest of the world work at finding a framework that they can tolerate for a decade or more.While Trump campaigned to “Make America Great Again” the simple truth is the sun has set on American greatness.
In part, the fault for this decline lies in the actions taken by Trump himself. At the recent G-7 meeting and the NATO heads of state meeting, Trump trashed America’s allies and subsequently in Helsinki refused to condemn Russia for the well-documented case of direct interference in the U.S. political system.These events effectively ended any trust that democratic nations still had in the word of the U.S. and gave heart to dictators around the globe. It would appear that these despots have nothing to fear from the world’s richest and strongest democracy. Trump has nothing but praise for the likes of Putin, Erdogan of Turkey and Duterte of the Philippines.
Trust is the central ingredient in the operation of a worldwide system founded on the rule of law and renunciation of the use of force to settle disagreements. Trump in both his actions and words has destroyed a belief that the U.S. can be trusted to adhere to existing treaties, be it the nuclear deal with Iran, or the Paris Accord on climate change, or the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership the development of which was led by the U.S. and which would have benefited the U.S. above all.And Trump’s most recent application of tariffs on both allies and China, justified on the basis of ensuring national security is just an obvious example of attempted economic bullying to obtain concessions on trade treaties.Were that not bad enough, his impact upon his own country is equally catastrophic. With the appointment of arch-conservative Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, it is obvious that the cultural wars of the past 40 years will be re-litigated in cases affecting abortion, civil rights, same-sex marriage, limits on voting rights, etc. That, in turn, will yield endless and escalating social turmoil.
Moreover, the inability of Congress to take decisive action on critical legislation from immigration to fiscal rectitude means additional stress on the political fabric of the nation. Issues that should be dealt with in the legislature wind up being settled by the courts.
A fish rots from the head. The president’s chronic inability to speak the truth, his denigration of major law enforcement institutions and non-recognition of the legitimacy of the rule of law and his paranoid tendency to demonize anybody who voices a disagreement with him is attacking the fundamentals of the nation’s social and moral values.With the ossification of the governing process, the U.S. economy will show increasing stress, which will be felt not only domestically but by the rest of the world. What is today the world’s biggest economy will likely stop growing and be superseded by China.That nation, with its decidedly different set of values and system of governance, will not be pushing for global democracy, rule of law and tolerance of diverse opinions.The United States may complain long and loud at the changing world of international governance and trade, but few will listen sympathetically since they brought this mess upon themselves.As is usually the case under such circumstances, Americans will search for scapegoats to assign blame and will fix on anything and anyone but themselves. Canada is sure to be one of the targets, if only because we are next door.
And, the whole world will be a harsher place with reduced co-operation, more belligerent behaviour and a greater risk of war.
--David Bond is a retired bank economist who resides in Kelowna.
