Why the U.S. Is Taking a Shellacking on the World Stage
Fox News’ Chris Wallace had an interesting exchange with Sarah Huckabee Sanders the other day, in which Wallace called BS on the White House claim that 4000 terrorists are pouring across the southern border. Wallace pointed out, “State Department says that there is, quote, their words, ‘no credible evidence of any terrorist coming across the border from Mexico.'”
This eventually led to this thing of beauty, Sanders’ offering, “That’s what sets America apart from every other country — we value life. It’s what makes us unique.”
Now, I know most Trump supporters give this administration a pass on the torrent of lies it showers us with every day, but doesn’t this seem outrageous to anyone with the IQ of a striped bass? And isn’t it especially egregious, given that Americans live in the only developed country in the world without guaranteed health care for its citizens? We let people die of treatable diseases, but we’re somehow the only one that values life. Got it, Sarah.
Here are a few charts from the Pew Research Center that speak to the U.S. reputation among the world’s people. Is there any mystery as to how this might have occurred?
Craig,
The charts reveal more about the methodology used by Pew, than reality.
Outside the US, attitudes toward American politicians and politics have always been fairly hard to discern among the general public in most developed nations.
International media outlets are often heavily dependent on the American mainstream media for links and information and most foreign journalists have a fairly anti-American attitude. This has been the case for the last 60 years.
President Obama came into office with two enormous advantages. As the first black US President, leftist European media found it less fashionable to criticize Obama for fear of seeming racist. Obama was also an avowed ‘internationalist’, a supporter of globalization and very compliant US foreign policy, so naturally he received favorable international media coverage.
His demeanor and behavior was far more in tune with the sort of polite, cerebral, ‘member of the club’ political figure Europeans are accustomed, more of a senior bureaucrat than a politician.
Donald Trump is a totally different sort of US President! He’s very American ! It hasn’t helped that he neither knows nor cares what the media, intellectual elite or public opinion of of other nations care about him of his policies. He’s been very blunt and candid when he declared ” I’m not interested in what the elite gathered in Paris think of me, I’m only interested in the best interests of the American people”.
Naturally, after eight years of the exceedingly polite and mild President Obama, this came as a shock to the world’s media who took their cue from American outlets like CNN and indulged in an anti-Trump frenzy. This frenzy reached a climax with the revelations of fictitious stories and false reporting in once reputable, and highly trusted European media outlets.
But as the ebullient American President candidly points out, does it really matter what the intellectual elite of Europe and other nations think ?
For years these people have been demonstrating and protesting about too much US influence. Well, now they have got what they always said they wanted, the US has abandoned any pretense to ” world leadership” and stopped exporting “American values” (whatever they were).
The world is left with a new reality. With the absence of American leadership, the nations must either become far more self reliant, or stop biting the hand that fed them for 70 years.
Most nations, both developed and undeveloped have grown very wary of flirting with either a somewhat moth-eaten, but still dangerous Bear, or a rapacious Dragon who has no qualms about taking advantage of weakness.
Suddenly, the world is very cold outside the US umbrella. It was fun to tell the American to “leave us alone”, but now that the US President is doing exactly what they demand, it’s got real scary!
Exactly why should President Trump care about the ‘ratings’ by Pew about what some foreign media thinks about him, or US policy ? Unlike other Presidents, Trump isn’t selling “American Values” or entering in a sort of popularity contest. His only interest is getting the best deal he can for the US.
I realize that you may find it impossible to believe, but although he may not be liked, Trump is winning the respect of international leaders, especially business leaders.
The President has also made bitter enemies among those who have benefited from globalization and plundering the US purse. Much of the diplomatic and bureaucratic class hate President Trump’s refusal and withdrawal from unproductive international “talkfests”.
Curiously, the world has quickly adapted to President Trump’s odd mannerisms. Most people have began to understand the difference between his sometimes wildly inaccurate and exaggerated rhetoric, and his serious and considered strategies and policies.
Of course, his critics still rant on with the same, but by now ineffective criticisms, but repetition, and manufactured outrage have led to his opponents imitating his style, but lack his charisma.
The latest imitator, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib boasts she told her children, ‘We’re Going to Impeach the Motherf*cker!’
This sort of statement from a Democrat legislator does nothing to raise the standard of public discourse and reveals the President’s critics as hypocritical, untrustworthy fanatics.
Terrorists pouring across the Southern border? Thousands of Latinos radicalised in US gangs are being sent across the border into Mexico, El Salvador, and Nicaragua to name just a few, then forced to participate in continuing gang violence by gangs that started in the US in an environment made fertile for their growth by US military or political interferance, and the widespread availability of ilicit guns arising from insanely lax gun control laws North of the border! Maybe these countries should begin to exercise more control of who they let in from the US, and refuse to take undocumented Latinos expelled from the US – who in many cases know almost nothing of life in the countries of their birth having left as young children.
Gary,
You are quite right in your accusation that the influence of US corporations and Agencies on Latin America has not always been positive or beneficial.
However, the dysfunction, corruption and economic chaos of these countries can’t be solely attributed to American interference alone.
Latin America, especially central America has a long and sad history of mismanagement originating as far back as the Aztecs who were a fairly violent bunch, The conquest and colonial experience of the Spanish and Portuguese wasn’t conducive to stable societies or political infrastructure and traditions.
Us guns laws, although lax by European standards, are not a cause of destabilization in Latin America where firearms proliferate. Far more serious is the insatiable market for illicit drugs in US society that funds and attracts Latino gangs likes flies to honey.
The problem facing the US along the southern border is “illegal migration”.
No nation, even one a wealthy as the US can allow uncontrolled mass migration without suffering dramatic social and economic consequences.
Those opposing the President’s “wall” solution, are merely political hypocrites and opportunists. less than three years ago, those Democratic members of Congress who today are so vehemently condemning President Trump, were loudly calling for tighter border control and measures to stop the flow of illegal migrants.
President Obama promised, but did nothing effective. His half measures, were either overwhelmed or found to be unconstitutional prevarications.
Controlling migration, is never popular, seldom pleasant, onerous emotionally, but absolutely essential for well being of society and especially for the equitable treatment of legal migrants.
The problems of Venezuela are not the fault of the US, (well, may be Bernie Saunders didn’t help) but essentially created by domestic corruption, political opportunist and ideology.
It’s not just the problems with drug cartels, gangs, terrorists, human traffickers, and all manner of criminals crossing the border, this is only part of the problem. The real problem is the principle of border control.
Nothing so far has worked. Some measures can prove effective in slightly reducing the flow, but only an effective well policed physical barrier will act as a major deterrent to making a significant reduction in cross border illegal activity.
Even if the ‘Wall” were 100% effective, the Us would still face problems of illegal migration from the sea, Canada air ports etc, but these are far more easily dealt with as the logistics are daunting. An effective Wall, coupled with a strict and determined deportation policy, will work.
Nothing will work 10o%, but at the moment there is no deterrent effect. President Obama’s “catch and release” program proved a ludicrous failure, only the certainty of failure to enter the US and relentless detention and deportation will prove effective.
Sometimes, governments must implement harsh policies for the good of all society and protection of those legal migrants who have obeyed the law.
Deterring illegal migration is also important for the safety of the illegal migrants themselves.
According to Amnesty International, 70% of migrant women and girls are raped while migrating,
“Doctors without Borders” reports 80% of women experience rape and sexual assault during the migration process. These women find themselves traumatized and having contracted a wide variety of sexually transmitted diseases or other health risks.
More than 40,000 migrant women, girls and young boys are captured by criminal gangs and sold into prostitution and human slave trafficking. More than 2000 per year fall victim to murderers and sadists.
President Trump’s “wall” will send a clear message of deterrence and alleviate the pressure on the overwhelmed Mexican Authorities and US border forces.
No easy task, but better than doing nothing…..