Opinion | US must regain world’s trust after Donald Trump and earn right to global leadership
- The US has been so busy for the past four years acting as a wrecking ball of the liberal world order it helped build that it is hard to imagine it will now become that beacon of light shining on a hill just because there is a new sheriff in town
That assumes, however, that America has the resources, capability and political will to dig out of the deep hole it finds itself in following four years of President Donald Trump. It also assumes China’s lead in many areas is not already insurmountable. Both sets of assumptions could prove to be mistaken.
While the US has been, and will continue to be, part of the solution to many of the world’s most pressing challenges, it can no longer claim to have a moral right to global leadership.
Some of the values it used to possess in abundance, and which have been hallmarks of American leadership since the end of World War II, disappeared from the forefront during the Trump era and are either lingering in the background or are seemingly nonexistent. Today, much of the world believes inequality, corruption and ineptitude are synonymous with America rather than freedom, justice and righteousness.
