The United States’ importance can hardly be overstated and yet its relationship with outsiders has often been in a state of flux. Isolationism has, at times, held no small appeal. However, such moments of introspection were almost always an internalized reaction to unfolding events elsewhere.
Today, the rise of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and the values he represents, may force the issue.
It’s not just that Trump has suggested he will ban all Muslims– around 23 percent of the entire human population-from entering the country. Trump-brand populism is subtler than that. His is a distorted, bigoted view of the world that does not exist in isolation. While he is almost certainly going to lose the election, the latest polls suggest that some 41 percent of Americans intend to vote for him. That’s 41 percent of the U.S. voting population who are comfortable with his misogyny, his racism, his mocking of people with a disability, his Mafia ties and the sheer incoherence of his ideas.
Trump Has Uncovered America’s Dark Side
Donald Trump has shined a light into the parched, voiceless corners of American society and revealed an ugly truth. Though the fight against bigotry has made significant inroads-how else could one explain an African-American president proudly declaring himself a feminist– the gains are only skin deep. Polite society is as much a facade as the industry of Potemkin or the sexual morality of the Victorians. The existence of systemic prejudice, long denied by right-wing pundits, is of course, hardly unique to America. The recent Brexit vote in the United Kingdom revealed the very same thing.
Bigotry is everywhere, yes, but the U.S. is is more than just another country. It’s a cultural giant, an economic powerhouse; it’s the world’s largest military power. The average American might not pay attention to an election in France or Japan but the same cannot be said in reverse. The world is watching.
And it is appalled by what it sees.
In the U.K., members of Parliament considered banning Trump from ever entering the country again. Former British Prime minister David Cameron called his plan to ban all Muslims:
“Divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.”
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was also quick to condemn Trump’s words saying:
“Mr. Trump, like others, feeds the hatred and the confusion: our ONLY enemy is radical Islamism.”
In Germany, one writer dreamed of wrestling Trump to the ground if he ever set foot in the country while members of the older generation spoke of Hitler, of dangerous rhetoric and of inciting fear in order to gain power.
Trump’s idiotic ideas concerning the use of nuclear weapons caused alarm all across South East Asia with South Korea particularly concerned by his plans to replace U.S. troops with weapons of mass destruction. Such an action would be in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and in Japan at least, create a constitutional conflict of interest.
He insulted South Korea again, claiming that the staunch American ally pays:
“Peanuts for its own protection,”
This was a nonsense so profound that it prompted former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill to tell CNN:
“I don’t know what he’s talking about but clearly neither does he.”
Insulting Allies And Enemies Alike
In truth, wherever you look, there is evidence of growing horror over the state of U.S. politics and listing them country by country would take up whole chapters. Trump does have some international support, most notably from North Korea and Russia but for the most part, the world is unified by one thing, their dislike, mistrust, and outright fear of Trump.
Does The USA’s International Reputation Matter?
To most free thinking people, the answer would have to be an unequivocal yes. Though international relations is not and has never been a popularity contest, the thought of people looking down on a nation it once thought so highly of cannot be comfortable. Still, there are reasons, solid reasons, as to why reputation really does matter.
Tourism receipts in the U.S. topped $274 billion in 2014; some of that money came from Mexicans, Koreans and yes, Muslims. While it is far too early to quantify any effect Trump’s comments alone might have on those receipts, there is no question that his Muslim ban would hit them hard. The Muslims would not be the only ones choosing to stay at home. some would stay away in solidarity, others would simply have no interest in visiting a quasi-fascist state.
Indeed, the very concept of U.S. internationalism might be at stake here. The number of international students in U.S. universities has been growing at a steady pace, topping a million students per annum in 2015. The growth has largely been driven by an influx of Chinese and Indian students. Of course, the 180 million Indians who describe themselves as Muslims would automatically be denied entry under Trump’s proposal. Chillingly, there is already evidence of student numbers dropping off, with some institutes reporting that their intake has dropped by half.
Shared Responsibility
Trump isn’t solely to blame, he didn’t invent Islamophobia or political incorrectness, he only exploited it. Hostility to Muslims predates his political career; the number of Saudi Arabian students has for example dropped by 16.8 percent since 2013. Still, correlation, or causation aside, the fact remains that the damage to U.S. reputation is far from ephemeral. International students, like tourists, contribute billions to the U.S. economy, around $30 billion to be precise. We can only imagine the lost jobs, closed universities, apartments gathering dust and hotels sat idle such losses imply.
America’s reputation is a precious commodity and Trump is chipping away at it with every word he utters. Far from making America great again, he is dragging its good name through the mud. The antidote to his patented brand of bile isn’t simply to defeat him at the ballot box. The solution is to provide everyone with a political education, to excite discourse and to detract from quick fix solutions. To stay focused on what is important, truth, equality and above all, respect for one another.
See how Trump is giving the U.S. a bad name around the world.
