Making America great again by what means?
The United States of America is a great country admired by many all over the world. Many countries use it as a yardstick to measure how far they are progressing as a country in many areas. The recent inauguration of their current President, Mr Donald Trump, is the latest evidence to prove how successful they have been in sustaining the system of government considered the best form for all these years spanning over more than two decades now.
The new President, Mr Trump, has attracted excessive attention the world over right from the time he made his intention to contest his party primaries. He continues to draw more attention as the President of the United States. This attention focus on Mr Trump can partly be explained due to his emphasis on the ruthless nature of international life. He seems to be sceptical about the role of ethical consideration in foreign policy deliberations.
As Mr Trump sees it, some policies are driven by strategic imperatives that may require national leaders to contravene moral norms. Embedded in his philosophy is a distinction between private morality which guides the behaviour of ordinary people in their daily lives, and reason of state (raison d’etat) which governs the conduct of leaders responsible for the security and survival of the state. To him whatever action that is in the interest of state security must be carried out no matter how repugnant it might seem in the light of private morality.
Mr Trump’s stance is in stark contrast to his immediate predecessor who took a soft stand on the same issue. The fact that his predecessor’s approach worked in normalising relations with hitherto avowed enemies of the United States and also brought relief to the varied minority groups in the US has triggered fears in sections of the American public and the world in general that Mr Trump’s policies has the potential of risking the very security he wants to protect.
The enviable stance of the United States is not in doubt. It has enjoyed different degrees of advantage over other countries in both economic and military sense and this has made it the world’s only superpower. Its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is more than $14 trillion, $28 trillion more than the combined GDPs of France, UK, Germany and Japan. The US GDP moreover is about 2.5 trillion larger than that of fast-rising china (but five times larger on per capita basis). This enormous economic strength enables the US to field the most powerful armed forces in the world. The scale of military superiority, as well as its ability to deploy and use these resources, is order of magnitude beyond any existing or potential rival.
Definitely this lofty position will automatically breed resentment because “nobody likes Goliath.” This anti-American sentiment has transformed and expanded into other areas in recent times. In addition to the sheer envies, America’s own actions have contributed to this. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 is not far from memory of many. Some people have suggested that rising anti-American sentiments were tied to the growing concern that the United States had become so powerful that it could act on its own in pursuit of its own interest without consulting with other countries or follow the lead of the United Nations or attending to the values and wishes of others.
The most serious dent to America’s image is the decline in the respect the world has for its economic model of free market and deregulation after the collapse of their financial system in 2008 creating ripple effect in systems all over the world. The United States’ actions also sometimes belied their claim as champions of the principles of free market economy. This is most expressed in their rejection of multitudes of treaties and agreements including those aimed at ensuring promotion of free trade in all its forms.
The rising level of anti-American sentiments as a result of the above factors is undermining the goodwill America enjoys the world over. Nobody can underestimate the influence of what some have called America’s soft power, the attractiveness of its culture, ideology and way of life for many people living in other countries. This places the United States in the best position to prosper in the new global information-based economy. That being the case, this soft power enhances the harder economic and military power of the United States.
Mr Trump’s strategy for making America great again seems to overlook the potency of that soft power advantage. He seems to over-rely on the economic and the military position of America and overemphasise their potency as the only means of finding solution to their domestic problems and the emerging problems of the modern world.
Teshies Nungua
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