Opinion: Two years of Trump have shaken MaxBoot's faith in America
By Max Boot Max Boot Columnist covering national security Email Bio Follow Columnist March 20 at 9:31 AM I have always been a cockeyed optimist about America. That’s due, in part, to my own family story: We came here in 1976 as penniless refugees from the Soviet Union and found a land of freedom and opportunity. It’s also due to my reading of history, which led me to conclude that, for all of its undoubted problems, America has been the greatest force for good in the world over the past century.
I do not doubt that America will continue to be free, wealthy and militarily strong. Although Trump is trying his damnedest to undermine our democracy, our institutions are strong enough to survive his onslaught. Despite his trade wars and fiscal irresponsibility, our economy remains a world-beater. Our gross domestic product is still 1.5 times larger in nominal terms than China’s, and our per-capita GDP is more than three times larger.
Americans’ backing for international leadership began to wane after the end of the Cold War and suffered a body blow after the Iraq War. President Barack Obama promulgated a “leading from behind” foreign policy and declared that “it is time to focus our nation building here at home.” He stood by while slaughter unfolded in Syria and Russia annexed Crimea.
If you’re an ally of the United States, how can you entrust your security to a superpower that seems to have lost its marbles? If Americans could elect Trump, what kind of demagogue will we choose in the future? We are fast losing the global confidence needed to maintain our global power. A shocking Pew Research Center poll last year found that far more people around the world view the United States as a threat than China or Russia.
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