We tell him to put his hopes elsewhere. The U.S has lost its moral compass, and will not take a stand against evil. Sadly, it seems we have embraced it.
2
As always, Mr. Kristoff, you tell it like it is. What do we tell that young man and what do we tell ourselves? I am heartsick.
2
You seems unable to think about diplomacy through the fantasy of regime change. I wonder what's wrong with globalist who don't know three ways of defining a regime.
Well, he is an ignorant, unread, uncurious incompetent who knows little or nothing about our government or the Constitution, and doesn't care to learn, but he sure knows what he would like to be able to do. He admires and fawns over the kind of autocrats that we have, however, backed in the past (to our endless shame) simply because they weren't Communists, so in that sense, he is following precedent, except that our past presidents weren't so shamelessly fawning about it.
1
"What do we tell him?" That the US electoral system is in tatters: not only does it lead to a president who got into office with a minority of the votes cast but it is riddled by foreign interference. And that this led to a short fingered vulgarian going around the world representing the US by embracing mass-murderers. In the process debasing everything this country stands for and throwing away the goodwill build up over decades if not centuries.
4
Trump has been a disaster for everything, not just human rights. His admiration for dictators was clear during his campaign. His incompetence was fully displayed as well. But enough people voted for Trump and the GOP that they are now running things. Our founding fathers gave us a republic to care for if we could. We haven't and this is the outcome: a clown presidency with a congress run by greedy obstructionists who can't be bothered to pay attention to anything but their own needs or those of their rich donors. Considering that their needs and those of their donors are the same what we really have is a country being governed by and for the richest of the land.
Power is seductive. Protecting human rights, not so much. And that's why we're not seeing anything done or said about human rights violations across the globe.
7
The damage done by Trump and his team to all programs and laws aimed at closing the gap between poor and rich in America and responding to future's challenges will take at least a generation to repair…
Abroad it may even take much longer.
The more so that it is a well known fact that since the end of WWII American superpower has had a very negative image in some parts of the world.
But there is worse.
As Trump constantly legitimizes hate in his own country so he does in foreign relations. Therefore it may well be that an increasing number of people in some places start thinking that "after all" conflict and war may not be such a bad solution to solve inequalities and challenges they face.
When this state of mind springs up no one really knows what will come out of it except that it is very difficult to stop …
Although pessimistic by nature I always thought that the worse is not certain. But today it is the first time in my life that I think that we should prepare for it…
1
His disregard and disinterest in the suffering of people subjected to these human rights violations by worldwide dictators is appalling! What frightens me, even more, is the fact that these violations are well known and publicized, and a significant segment of our population doesn't seem to care. He has stated that, perhaps torture, should be an option. What makes his supporters believe that he couldn't become a Putin or Détente if the circumstances permitted?As he has said often in his tweets, "SAD"! But alarming.
1
Nick, nobody can write and make issues plain like you can. Thanks so much.
People of good will can continue to speak and put pressure on world opinion. It will help.
People in countries under the thumb of oppressors will find ways to sabatoge the existing order. May they keep strength and faith. I know it can be dire.
As for Trump, he and his nefarious brotherhood will have an eternity in Hell, that's assured.
The good people of this world will not be kept down. Bet on that.
3
Kristoff assumes we are the self-appointed moral leaders of world yet this same newspaper scolds us all the time about not judging other cultures and respecting differences..so which is it?
1
Perhaps a nation with a sense of what should be considered basic human rights?
2
False dichotomy.
And there is the dilemma -do we respect other cultures view of that or impose the western, white male view?
The United States has not been good for human rights. It has not only supported but engineered coups and put the most murderous people in power when it suited its economic and/or strategic needs. Reza Pahlavi, Batista, Pinochet... the list goes on and on. The democrats have not been much better, and just recently, we saw the Department of State under Secretary Clinton and President Obama embrace the old script when they legitimized the regime that ousted President Zelaya in Honduras, and by extension, the ensuing gross violations of human rights violations that followed. The only significant changes right now are the byproduct of having someone in the White House that for the first time in living memory behaves just like one of those colorful (yet murderous) "strongmen" that we used to prop up everywhere. If there is any hope to change that, it may be due to a response to that last fact. If there is any substantive difference, it is due to the brazen, crass, and unimaginative way in which this cast of characters go about their business, leaving no space to doubt their true intentions and second guess their methodology.
3
"What do we tell him?"
Tell him we don't control our own government. We can watch, become woke, protest, call our representatives, but nothing will happen, at least not in any immediate or significant way.
To be candid, and most helpful, tell the man to gather his loved ones and run as fast as possible away from, and out of, Myanmar. The U.S. Cavalry ain't coming to the rescue. Do you understand? We're not going to help you. So go, now, flee. Your feet are your only savior. Maybe travel at night and rest in the daytime. Godspeed, sir.
1
Human rights include both the individual rights of people and the collective rights of *a* people. Westerners tend to prefer the former to the latter, and deem them “universal.” Most of the world sees the latter as the basis of distinct and sovereign nations. “Self-determination” has many meanings, which leaves plenty of room for those who disagree to call each other’s understanding racist.
1
Wanna Be Dictator-in-Chief Trump is clearly on the road to establishing a dictatorship in this country.
He has started with the elevation of "Hawk" Pompeo from the position of CIA Director to the position of Secretary of State. Pompeo does not have the background of experience necessary for this new and very important diplomatic position.
In addition Trump has the gall to promote Haspel from CIA Asst. Director to the position of CIA Director.
Haspel has a background of promoting torture as a functioning policy in this intelligence agency.
The warning signs of dictatorship have now become blatant and dominating, as well as indicative of Trump's true agenda.
Trump is a self-promoting egomaniac who has his own view regarding his role
in the governance of our country.
The GOP must put a halt to Trump's agenda, meet in a smoke-filled room and require Trump to resign for the sake and good of the country and his family.
Otherwise Trump will take down with him the GOP - an entity he very likely views as a group of useful ...... idiots.
This is how the electorate has begun to view the GOP - and rightfully so.
3
Trump is a disaster, but the idea that Obama and especially Bush were anguished about human rights violations is nonsense. I don’t want to type a list of examples— torture, unjust wars, drone assassinations, Yemen—but that will do for starters.
I really don’t get this. Why is it assumed by our pundits that we have to preface any criticism of Trump on human rights with a contrast to some nonexistent glory days when people like Bush ( Bush!!) were human rights champions.
12
Mr. Kristof
Thank you , I agree 100 % with your opinion, but, is too late ?
Trump has been in office for 14 months, the damage that has been done
to all of our institutions along with the state department is mind boggling,
the brazen willful and cruel assault to our democratic norms and continued
bullying and destruction of anyone whom disagrees with Trump, when will this
be stopped ?
I believe Trump has every intention of building an Authoritarian Government.
2
I'd noticed that Trump seemed unusually positive about Erdogan, Duterte and Putin, but it's a relief to read it in Nicholas Kristof's column. I'm not crazy, Trump really does admire dictators and human rights abusers.
1
Dear Nicholas, let’s not pretend that the USA, before Trump, has been a strong champion for democracy. It has not, certainly not in many instances where it really could have supported democratic movements. After world war II, the USA has supported, often with military power, horrible, bloody, undemocratic dictators all over the world. Just to mention a few:
Ferdinand Marcos (The Philippines), Suharto (Indonesia), Saddam Hussein (Iraq), Mubarak (Egypt), the Shah of Persia, Pinochet (Chile), Videla (Argentina), etc., etc.
And here in Europe, in Spain, President Nixon stated after the death of one of the most cruel, murderous dictators Europe has seen in recent history: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States.” And the USA supported the Greek colonels’ regime in the 1960s and 70s which was just another horrible bunch of corrupt dictatorial criminals.
So, yes, Trump does not even pretend to be on the side of democracy, but many of his predecessors have paid lip service to democracy, but acted to actually destroy democracy and prop up dictators. The rest of the world knows that the USA’s support for democracy is often a lot of nice words but very often no action.
2
Trump became president.
A nation gets the government it deserves.
The United States as we knew it no longer exists.
3
As a descendant of Jewish people I wonder about the red flags that the German people faced in the 1930s and how much i am supposed to tolerate from my leaders when it comes to fascism before I proclaim that we are under attack. This is a red flag of the highest order. I cringe when I see such love given to truly evil men by this talented destroyer of anything smacking of goodness. If Republicans fail to appropriately respond in word or deed on actions that move us in any way in the direction of totalitarianism the elephant party will be tossed aside into the ashes of history just like the nazi party was after Hitler. America will not put up with such ignorance in the end and Trump better get that through that thick head of Nazi-fashioned bleached hair all the way into his skull really, really fast. We don't put up with no un-American activities up around here in these 'em parts...
“He’s so hated around the world that he’s radioactive. So on those rare occasions when he does something about human rights, it only tarnishes the cause.”
So when a "bad" person does something "good" the act is rendered "bad" because of the person doing it.
What a crock.
2
US presidents have always embraced dictators, far slimier and murderous than the current ones: the Shah of Iran, Pinochet, Trujillo, João Goulart of Brazil, Ceausescu, Kim Il-sung of South Korea - in that bunch alone we're talking responsibility for 100,000 deaths.
4
Trump seems to think that we could have a president for life in the US. He said so when Xi changed the law in China. I guess he hopes it happens within the next two years. He is the biggest purveyor of fake news as he attacks the mainstream media. Yet, he even admitted to making up false data about our trade deficit with Canada. Is that to get even with Prime Minister Trudeau for practicing to evade Trump's handshake and jerk. He, like all dictators, constantly lies about obvious facts. When all else fails, he blames Hillary. I'm always surprised he is not good friends with Maduro and Kim Jung-Un. They are exactly what he admires, dictators who have all the power with little chance of being overthrown even though they are making conditions worse in their countries by their decrees.
4
The last line in the column asks: What do we tell him?
We tell him Trump & the current US policy are not the same as the policy of a lot of 'us' US citizens. There are still a lot of people out there fighting the good fight for the right reasons, it's just the US Government is not part of that anymore.
As a US citizen, I'd rather have my tax money fighting for human rights than the war mongering we do in the name of "security" and "defense," but that ain't happening while the Trump regime runs amok.
It didn't seem like America was doing too badly before Trump started "making America great again", but now, we really ARE doing badly.
If this is what Trump getting comfortable in his role as POTUS, WE ALL, the world all over, are in for a storm of misery.
The only way out is through -- we need to continue to make noise and show up at the ballot box a la Pennsylvania 18. This too shall pass.
Trump has been a corporate dictator his whole life - answering to no one. He will never change.
Why the loud silence from former presidents Carter and Obama, 2 of our most eloquent and respected human rights advocates? I guess there is some sort of tradition of presidents giving their successors some type of silent grace period, but this is absurd.
1
Before Trump, America had a long history of supporting dictators and tyrants.
In the past, America has based its support or benign neglect of tyrants and authoritarian regimes based upon the global strategic and/or economic interest of the United States. (Rightly or wrongly).
Trump, however, supports dictators, not for US strategic interests, but because he covets of the cult of personality these dictators enjoy.
This is what makes him dangerous.
3
Trump is a creature who has so little self-respect that he is willing to use racism, hatred of minorities and the lowest human instincts to build his political base. Here is a vicious mocker of the disabled who is cheered by the Ku Klux Klan, and the American Nazi Party as their chosen hero. Donald Trump is able to convince many that he is a brilliant leader through tough-guy posturing. He is not new to the method. Both Mussolini and Hitler used similar projections of being strongmen that could restore greatness to a nation portrayed as weak and failing. Trump even honed his skills on Reality TV shows.
Look at films of the facial expressions of Mussolini during his speeches and then look at Trump's expressions and poses. There is much in common. Trump also plays on nationalism and xenophobia. His ex-wife Ivana said that he kept the writings Hitler by his bedside. The American Heritage Dictionary noted, fascism is: “A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism.” Trump has implied that perhaps it is time for him to become dictator of the United States without term limits. Trump is a fascist in every meaning of the word and he has become the face of the Republican Party with the full support of their leadership.
5
The suffering of Rohingyas is extreme.
The killers of Rohingyas in Myanmar are Communists who have no religion, so it's wrong to label these killers as Buddhists. (The Afghans were Buddhists for many centuries till they were conquered by Arabs and converted to Islam.)
1
I must agree with others that our human rights record was bad before the election of Trump. But at the same time, no other President has:
Displayed open hostility to the free press.
Talked openly about jailing a political opponent.
So freely disparages his own citizens who don’t slobber over him.
Openly talked about trying a lifetime Presidential appointment.
Openly talked about how he admires dictators all over the world.
Used his Presidency for personal financial gain while in office.
Used his Presidency to carry personal vindictive attacks on people he considers his enemies.
In his official capacity unable bring himself to condemn Nazis.
Engaged in name calling constantly.
Someone want to tell me why this is a good thing?
4
Trump is no Globalist. He would not last a day in The Humanitarian Community and he would not be hired. What if he were hungry and woke up destitute, ready to take on any challenge offered, to survive on a fast cheeseburger. He couldn't do it. He has little notion of how many nations make up Africa, and probably it would be a stretch for him to recall how J.F.K. went to the U.N. to avert the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Mr. Kristof, he does not care if he is shaking hands with 'Genocide', because it is not 'Our' problem. We have an Isolationist President on the Offensive, whose bosom swells with pride when the big tanks come out on military parade, and his eyes well with sensitivity on hearing the National Anthem.
A favorite comment from a younger American friend, born into a sensible and staunch Republican family, was 'Jeepers Creepers'; no further mention, and we were back to the realities of bringing up one's children in the times we live.
Now. He is not going to tweak the nose of The Russian Bear. If we are fortunate, Iran is going to reflect whether it is worth wasting its time with our President.
The big disappointment is how we are reacting to the Trump Phenomena in general. We had a preview of this scenario when President Obama underestimated our lack of character.
Let us hope that it does not take a War to Unite Us.
The republican party has seceded any pretense of caring about democracy or decency. The are the party of power and control, and nothing else. They will do anything to grab and maintain this power and control. Just look at their behavior since despicable donnie became president. Not one republican leader has spoken out against his authoritarian ways, his attacks on the press, or his silence on human rights. And yet they still have the approval and support of the vast majority of republican voters, including many so-called christians. I am disgusted, and also afraid for the future of democracy - it is more fragile than we realized, and once lost, will be incredibly hard to regain.
1
donald is a light switch away from attempting to become the authoritarian ruler he so admires and mimics in small ways, now anyway, to eventually completing his vision of his narcissistic greatness. The switch will be thrown when he fires Mueller, attempting to end the investigation. This investigation now, is the only thing that stands in his march toward achieving his dream. If the nation does not erupt in a furious denunciation, condemnation and charging into the streets; then voicing their disapproval by voting the November, we deserve the consequences.
You tell him that the only thing exceptional about the US is the number of people who, if they had any values to begin with, have abandoned them to support a wannabe dictator. Tell him that our system of government is broken, especially checks and balances and a Congress that's as corrupt as any legislative body in the world.
1
This article is the fundamental baseline reason why Trump should not be president. He does not care about the plight of others, or their basic human rights whether they are Americans or of foreign extraction. He has no feelings for others at all.
This makes him a Narcissist's narcissist or a monster, take your pick. He hates our democracy and has declared this with words and actions since his inauguration. You cannot tell someone how to feel, they either have human emotions or they don't.
How pathetic was it that he had to have cue cards working as emojis when he met with the teens who survived the Parkland slaughter. Later, he turned that horrible tragedy into a Trump photo op declaration against NRA that he didn't mean but needed the attention focused back to him and away from the kids, how sick is that?!
I agree with you completely, this is a horrible time in America and around the world for human rights and caring. Murdering, torturing dictators are Trump role models and in addition to money ties this is his strongest philosophical tie to Putin.
He was busy making Trump Holdings international deals in China and Russia and possibly Turkey to worry about jailed and tortured journalists. He hates his constant pathological lies exposed which is why he hates our Free Press and wants to shut them down. He wants to make fools of everyone with his lies and the Free Press won't let him.
He is the 'sign of the beast' in America.
1
Thank you, Mr. Kristof. I agree that OUR United States of America must stand up for human rights but, unfortunately, while The Con Don and his International Mafia brethren control OUR government we must be concerned with OUR country first.
The International Mafia wants WW3. It will throw the world into chaos. It will be profitable for them. It will give them the illusion of what they think is power.
WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can/will stop them and NOW is the time.
The Women's Marches, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, LGBT marches and demonstrations and, especially, the School Students march yesterday are a good start.
WE have consumer power. WE have 401K power. WE have VOTE power. WE have VOICE power. WE must use it 24/7 and fight like hell to wrest back control of OUR United States of America. Then we can get on to the business of helping educate the world about true democracy - Social and Economic equity for ALL human beings.
2
Heart breaking, especially the last sentence by the young Rohingya man, "Please don't let us be treated as animals..." Our populist demagogue, Trump is a disgrace to the better part of our often compromised history. Thank you my fellow Oregonian!
1
Show up and vote. And vote against all Republicans anywyere, because they are sitting on their hands as Trump encourages this kind of oppression, and trashes OUR reputation around the world.
3
Détente is certainly better than war, and that is something the president understands.
1
One can only assume that Sandra is referring to President Obama here, or President Clinton who signed a treaty with North Korea that was quite successful until President Bush cancelled it. Mr. Trump for his part has threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" and nuclear war. "Why," he asked, "do we have nuclear bombs if we can't use them?" The proposed unconditional talks ask for nothing from North Korea. Trump has already given away the store. South Korea and North Korean were able to manipulate Trump. His long list of known shortcomings make him extremely susceptible to manipulation. Most "very stable geniuses" suffer from the same problem.
Sandra J. Amodio wrote:
"Détente is certainly better than war, and that is something the president understands."
1
Like many others, I continue to see despair and defeat, rage and revulsion in those of us who detest Trump's despicably autocratic "leadership." Any moral core and code seems to have dissolved, in both the U.S. and the world -- and we seem at a loss as to how to re-establish strength and integrity.
Tweeting, commenting, and articulate ranting help the spleen, and certainly seeing once-Republican seats go to Democrats offers hope. But even with the anti-Trump backlash -- are we on a downward spiral, given a combination of angry ennui and liberal inaction? Are we -- to be cynical and hyperbolic -- like the 30s' Germans waiting for Hitler to make such obvious and heinous actions that we finally can't deny the march to fascism?
With Trump planning for a 2020 victory, with reactionary judges sprinkled throughout the country, with the NRA sure to overcome, with a Trumpist base almost certain to widen as Dems tilt left, as the rich get richer -- I wonder, what set of forces is going to overcome this autocratic and dictatorial mindset that Trump "merely" represents? The narcissism that drives him may well typify too much of the American mindset by now -- how do we instead learn to thrive on service, community, responsibility, and a "greatness" that is generous, not gratuitous?
Anti-Trump Lefty nonsense!
Washington (Right and Left) has — to paraphrase FDR's famous comment on Somoza — always loved dictators as long as they were its dictators.
4
We have a long history of supporting murderous dictators, as long as they support our trade policy and political interests, but Trump makes it look as ugly as it always has been, and that makes everyone uncomfortable. Plus, he seems to do it more for his pure love of the "strongman" figure, so he does not fit in with the beltway way of doing things. It has always been wrong.
2
What can I or should I say to this continuing atrocity known as Trump? Let's rid ourselves and the world of him through all lawful means, a.s.a.p.
5
We no longer stand up for our own civil rights, either. What do we tell ourselves?
1
How can anyone be surprised? He campaigned on becoming dictator, "Only I can fix the many, many problems in America." What he didn't say and the press should have is: "Problems, by the way, that only I can see."
He was sympathized for his birther lies by a press that should have been doing investigative journalism on the clues about his business dealings and money laundering. A press that was too busy wondering about Clinton's emails.
Another thing some of these dictators have in common; they have thrown him parades and lavish parties. Perhaps the remaining democracies in Europe and North America should start throwing parades for him. Big spectacles that last a week. Start in Britain and have one in every Country on the Continent; back to Canada, Mexico, and then the U.S. It might take enough time that he couldn't do anymore damage; Mueller could get on with his work; and We the People can get on with taking down the fascist party (GOP) that currently controls (and ruins the government) to replace it with people with a moral and ethical code that will ensure his impeachment, the impeachment of his entire administration, and their subsequent imprisonment for treason.
Or we can just turn the world over to Putin's pals and wait for the end times.
Remember people; it's not the Earth that is in danger. It is US.
5
I believe it was France that gave him the idea.
1
Okay, let me get this straight.....Presidents Obama and Bush, who did very little about many of these problems, get a pass because they were "clearly anguished." President Trump is condemned for "doing nothing."
Refresh my memory. Who was the President that released $575 million in aid to Egypt in 2015? Oh, that's right. President Obama. Who's the President who remained silent during the Iranian Green Revolt in 2016? Oh, yeah...President Obama. Who was the President who sat on his hands when President Assad of Syria used chemical weapons on his own people? Oh...I remember! President Obama.
You don't like President Trump. Okay. I get it. But don't stand there and complain about the lack of action with President Trump and give a pass to your favorite for doing the same thing.
4
The US has a long history of "backing" dictators, across numerous administrations: Democrat and Republican alike. Just a few examples include Pinochet, Noriega, Thiem, Ceausescu. Park Chung-Hee (the Bodo League massacre), Islam Karimov, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Add to it dozens of drug lords, military juntas, African war lords and what you see is consistent, peerless, financially deep US backing of effectively every State psychopath and criminal. The US underwriters include the administrations ranging from Wilson to Trump, and every one in between including the charming Clintons (and who could forget Madeline Albright), Nixon and Kissenger; Reagan et al; the Bush corporation and even the Obama administration in Iran (among others). Mr. Kristoff is not doing readers any favors. This is not just conveniently spun journalism, but unfortunate historicism.
3
In other words, all administrations are the same when it comes to supporting dictators? I don't think so. Mr. Trump praises autocrats to the high heavens. He spends time with them. He rarely if ever criticizes them. He bemoans the fact that he cannot do what autocrats do. He complains constantly about the checks and balances of our democracy, about the free press. He has done nothing to protect us from the autocrat who has attacked our democracy and will do it again. Prior administrations have made countless mistakes in this regard. But Trump is the winner. He is indisputably the worst by orders of magnitude. Any other conclusion would be delusional.
Matt Andersson wrote:
"The US has a long history of "backing" dictators, across numerous administrations: Democrat and Republican alike. Just a few examples include Pinochet, Noriega, Thiem, Ceausescu. Park Chung-Hee (the Bodo League massacre), Islam Karimov, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Add to it dozens of drug lords, military juntas, African war lords and what you see is consistent, peerless, financially deep US backing of effectively every State psychopath and criminal. The US underwriters include the administrations ... Kissenger; Reagan et al; the Bush corporation and even the Obama administration in Iran (among others). Mr. Kristoff is not doing readers any favors. This is not just conveniently spun journalism, but unfortunate historicism."
2
If The Book of Revelation were true in any sense, wouldn't Trump seem very familiar?
1
"The United States used to stand up for human rights, but that was before the Trump administration."
really? when was that? the whole history of american foreign actions has been to stifle democracy, from the mexican war, thru the spanish- american war, thru the annexation of the Philippines, thru the support for the english war on the people of greece after WW II, thru the installation of a military dicatatorship in chile thru the war against vietnam, thru the overthrow of too many to mention elected governments, the american policy has been distinctly anti-human rights.
1
Yes. Look what we did to Germany and Japan after WWII.
Oh, wait...
1
Are you kidding ? I find it quite strange to read "The United States used to stand up for human rights, but that was before the Trump administration" in a paper that should know better.
Since WW2, the US has systematically supported dictatorships across Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia, assassinated or helped in the assassination of democratic leaders who they feared might be too "socialist", organized military coups against democratic regimes, etc. And more recently, they did overthrow a dictator (in Irak), but in the end, that only helped the military industry and created a chaos on which terrorists thrived.
It would be great if the powerful US helped in the fight for democracy, but that has always just been propaganda. Like other countries, the US only fights for business. Don't be naïve.
But of course, I agree that Trump is much worse than anything before him.
5
What do you say?
Maybe you try asking where the rest of the world is. I'm as distressed as the majority of Americans over the orange waste pile in the White House, but its not as if Germany, France, the UK, Japan, India, or any other democracy is actually doing anything about any of the dictators you talk about, other than cheap verbal condemnations.
We are a very powerful nation, but we are not the world's policeman and we have never been the beacon of justice that some folks like to make us out to be. The global retreat into right wing nationalism is just that, a global trend. Trump is a particularly pathetic example but he isn't the cause and if Clinton, Sanders or Cruz had become President we'd be doing just as little as we are now.
There is no evidence I can think of that US condemnations have ever changed the behavior of a dictator.
1
"What do we tell him?"
You tell him that we have a President who doesn't care about him or his human rights, or anyone else's human rights. That our President believes that torture works and as such is morally and ethically justified, and who has just nominated a torturer to head the CIA: someone who not only supervised torture at a Thailand black site without questioning it's legality or morality but who actively took measures to destroy evidence of what had taken place in those torture sessions. And lastly, please tell him that the President's party, the Republican Party, the party that's in charge of both houses of Congress will not take issue with the President when it comes to his human rights. Tell him that the new policy of the US regarding his human rights is "you are on your own," "we don't care" and "we like the authorities doing the persecuting more than we like or care you."
2
Trump is just the proof that the GOP has sold our democratic institutions, here and abroad, for power and money. Gerrymandering, voter suppression, dropping the Russian collusion investigation without questioning half of the principals (this after 18 Benghazi sham committees under Mike Pompeo and 9 hours of grilling the sitting Secretary of State), failure to act as Emoluments Man enriches himself and his crime family at taxpayer expense are now the legacy of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. A perverted party, a perverted ideology, and a perverted country courtesy of conservative hypocrites.
5
Trump thinks life is a Zero-Sum game: for the US (specifically Trump, that is) to win, everyone else (those who don’t agree with Trump) has to lose.
This is how a democracy dies.
5
Trump's affinity with autocrats and his disdain for human rights is a reflection of what he would like see happen in the United States. He would love to have unfettered control over policy and those who have the temerity to question his authority, whether they be private individuals, policymakers, or members of the press. He wants people to fawn, not question. Remember his campaign statements that 'only he' can fix the things that he imagines are wrong with America? In his own mind, he is America's savior, and simply cannot understand why everyone else does not see it, too.
1
And i remember a time when he dumped on President Obama for dressing in traditional garb... Duterte... trump? These two deserve each other.
2
Trump is totally devoid of morals and is himself the puppet of a murderous foriegn dictator, Vladimir Putin. Perhaps treason, as opposed to election chicanery and financial crimes, is the true charge to be made at his impeachment.
2
Because of the sudden appeal of soft fascist principles in the United States at present, neither Trump nor the GOP leadership in Congress care much about the brown-skinned Muslim Rohingyas. So, look for sympathy for them elsewhere.
5
Loves dictators, and yucks it up about making things up in critical trade talks with our largest trading partners...
Fires cabinet heads with tweets for criticizing Soviet leaders. Wants the Justice system to serve as Gestapo.
He cannot be gone soon enough
2
Oh yes you did assail President obama. When you could pull yourself away from extolling an honorable platform for the racism of the odious Charles Murray. Two sides of the same coin really.
Heading toward a dictatorship . . . something must stop it.
3
Just curious. How many subscribers does The Times have in China? Seems like you offer translations of so many more articles these days.
Because Trump is one of them.
My first reaction to viewing the photo posted with the article: trump should never wear yellow!
Trump's indifference to victim's suffering around the world is shameful and a clear sign of pettiness, smallness, stupidity. But then again, how can we ask from this vulgar bully what he doesn't have, a sense of justice if not compassion, solidarity, and some decency? So far, his only interest is himself, and how to enrich himself and family at our expense. His exercise in nepotism is a distinct abuse of power, in spite of his overall incompetence. He is a human disaster, with no solution in sight. The term 'human rights' to him has no meaning... nor feelings.
Gena Haspel's nomination to head the CIA indicates that Mr. Trump is not "indifferent" to human rights...
"What do we tell him?"
As always, we tell him the truth: that a significant number of American citizens chose to "fight back" against the crimes of equal rights for every individual, equal access to life-saving medicine and health care, the rights of women to control what happens inside their own bodies, the right to roam freely about town without danger of being a victim of a senseless slaughter, an intelligent & caring African American man as president, the joy of drinking clean water and breathing clean air, and the right of the government to prevent economic fraud from being committed by enormous corporate entities against average citizens.
So congratulations, DT voters! You can now enjoy sitting in your little hovels, secure in knowing that the "gay agenda" has been stymied, women are once again forced to life-threatening back allies to have an abortion, individual liberty triumphs over even the rights of parents to not have to bury their children, corporations are once again free to rape the environment and its citizens, those in power are not prevented from jailing and burying their opponents, and "insignificant" victims like the young Rohingya man can again be slaughtered with impunity, knowing that the citizens of a once great nation that used to vigorously fight to defend his rights has now abandoned that role in exchange for a slimy peddler of pipe dreams and empty promises.
We have a President so devoid of empathy for the suffering of others, at home and abroad, that he needs a cue card with phrases for a meeting with survivors of a horrific school shooting. Mr. Trump is totally self-centered and obsessed with material possessions. Thus, his actions, and lack of action, are to be wholly expected.
For decades the goal of the GOP has been to destroy the federal government. Now they have a willing self-centered idiot who is making their fantasy happen.
1
Wanna Be Dictator-in-Chief Trump is clearly on the road to establishing a dictatorship in this country.
He has started with the elevation of "Hawk" Pompeo from the position of CIA Director to the position of Secretary of State. Pompeo does not have the background of experience necessary for this new and very important diplomatic position.
In addition Trump has the gall to promote Haspel from CIA Asst. Director to the position of CIA Director.
Haspel has a background of promoting torture as a functioning policy in this intelligence agency.
The warning signs of dictatorship have now become blatant and dominating, as well as indicative of Trump's true agenda.
Trump is a self-promoting egomaniac who has his own view regarding his role
in the governance of our country.
The GOP must put a halt to Trump's agenda, meet in a smoke-filled room and require Trump to resign for the sake and good of the country and his family.
Otherwise Trump will take down with him the GOP - an entity he very likely views as a group of useful ...... idiots.
This is how the electorate is begun to view the GOP - and rightfully so.
Dictators loved Obama and he definitely loved them back... Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc
1
H.L. Mencken presciently observed;
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
That’s the weakness with democracy, as Socrates noted, it is the tyranny of the masses. Inure the people to reason, socially engineer their reality, allow the system to abandon them, deny education, deny healthcare, ignite divisions, induce the people to believe the unbelievable, and democracy is nothing but a name. Consequentially, the people get what they deserve. Churchill dubbed democracy imperfect, but the most perfect system that we have. Trump, proving Mencken’s wry logic, shows how imperfect it is.
The assault on western democracy is a deliberate act from outside and, insidiously, from within. Russia disrupts democracy to show Russians how comfortably stable oligarchy can be. Most western political animals previously understood the dangerous fragility of democracy and guarded it for the most part. It took the Reagan/Thatcher initiative to ruthlessly abandon the rules. Since that era, the lower classes have been convinced of their utter worthlessness and hoodwinked into believing that they can aspire for higher things by following the rules of the elite. It’s all a giant lie, of course, but democracy’s great strength is its ability to rebound. November 2018.
You had Hillary Clinton ask if we could murder Julian Assange while she was Sec. of State. You had our government leaders ask the same question right on TV. Obama rescinded habeas corpus. Obama and Hillary funded and armed murderous "rebels" in Syria which resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and the mass migration of millions more. Obama sold massive amounts of arms to Saudi Arabia to bomb civilians in Yemen. Trump IS the ugly face of American foreign policy but he's only continuing the stuff Obama and others did or refused to stop.
2
Yes, Trump has aspirations towards dictatorship. Let we Americans be absolutely sure he never attains any of them. Fortunately his smarts, his political skills are nil no matter his ambitions. May he fall on his face like all dictators do. Remember Mussolini and Hitler? Where are they now?
Excellent column! Excepting the ‘optimal’ time for world leaders to commit genocide without consequence was during the previous President’s tenure. Recall the Syrian holocaust and the rise of ISIS which Obama did little to stop.
1
Trump is as horrible a human being as he is a president. Shame on anyone who still supports him. Let's hope November 2018 will change things for the better. It's anyone's guess...
'Dictators see a clear field'......to continue their murderous acts against innocent
people.....because Trump admires their dictatorship....and so it goes...
Trump our mentally deranged President...would like to be a dictator too....
and ...the question is why do the members of our Republican representatives
in the House and the Senate support Trump...Why are we allowing this to happen.....Ask Senate leader Mitch McConnell...and ask House Speaker
Ryan...do They Support and Admire such dictators....and why ask our
representatives...well this is why..
Do the GOP House and Senate members really support all Republicans ..
that is the real question...do these GOP representatives fail us all by being
so silent....to bow to Trump and the Dictators of the world...that is
the ONLY question you...at the NYTimes should ask at this juncture...because
it is the GOP who can really quickly rid us all of Trump...Amendment 25:
Section 4...unfit to govern due to mental illness...
Make the point NYTimes editors and STOP beating around the proverbial bush.
3
Dictators are a disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, they can imprison your body, but if we follow the wonderful example of Stephen Hawking, nobody can harness our mind. We sent your "I saw a genocide in slow motion" and "Is this genocide?" columns to many persons in Myanmar that understand English. Maybe it is a long-term "tortoise-hare" strategy, but is better than waiting for a dishonored Nobel Peace Prize winner, to take action in a country that is suffering the same situation than the Jews in Germany, during the Nazi era.
We know that Senator John McCain and Angelina Jolie are helping too. We wish the best to both of them.
Knock, knock again, Nobel Prize persons in Oslo, Norway.
One must be diplomatic when talking to world leaders. The NY Times gives such a biased/slanted article on most politics. The president is not hated around the world; this is what the press would like everyone to believe as they pushed this story. The NY TImes is an anti American newspaper. And the pole number is ridiculous as your November 2016 polls. Gallop is partisan.
1
Singlehandedly destroying everything this country has given the world.
Cry my beloved country
1
A sad, sobering column but surprising? For anyone who has ever worked for a " successful" company run by a charismatic egomaniac (whom they initially admired for having gobs of dough and no morals or boundaries) but later understood was just a dictatorial jerk, welcome home.
Trump's governs like he ran his companies. Lying, bullying, manipulating, conning, and abusing ( to name a few) is the "skill set" that made him a winner (?) in business. He had and still has every intention to run America the same way.
When I compared Trump to Hitler at the beginning of his term some of my younger, lefty friends, who sadly had very little knowledge of Fascism and it's rise in the 1940's, were dismissive and told me to calm down because I was acting hysterical.
They are not laughing anymore.
3
It is springtime for Mr. Trump! Springtime for dictators! Flowers are forcing their green shoots up. Vladamir and Abdel! Rodrigo and Jinping! Recep and Donald! Let's all join hands and dance in a circle. Oh frabjous day! The way is clear. For Turkish thugs in Lafayette Square. Muskovey assassins in Kensington Gardens. For presidents for life. For rape and torture and musical murder. By all accounts a genial flowering of human rights means human might makes human right. And lily white is lily right.
2
Two questions I would like answered. Seriously.
1. Does he really think he can change the course of history?
2. Can Mueller indict him?
1
Donnieboy can't even support our British allies, where his mother was born, and has been negligent in his constitutional duty to enforce the law. An overwhelming congressional majority voted sanctions against Russia, and the president does nothing. He owes his position and a great deal of personal debt to Putin. He wants to have his dictatorial powers, but he would still be Putin's puppet, and would be forced to do his bidding. As it stands, we are nothing but a Russian satellite as long as Resident Trump sits in the White House. And sits........ and sits...............
I love the photographic angle of this shot. If the shot had been taken head on as they gathered around the blue sticker then it appears the backdrop would have been simple and Derute "elegant". At this angle it really reflects the house of cards' world of Trump....fake castle, crisscrossed red carpets laid over some rippling other carpet, tiny cartoon head atop a weirdly dressed massive body, an evil, disgusting couple fawningly admiring him with the stage manager (Kelly?) peeping around the corner.
2
We are now seeing the result of a country with 60 million people who are stupid enough, and complacent enough, to elect a president who is actively against human rights and condones suffering. I'm worried that someday the world will say "never again" and they'll be referring to the present situation.
1
While there are tribunals for war crimes, maybe we need one for "peace" crimes, committed by autocrats for their own political ends.
“Trump has been a disaster for U.S. soft power,” says Gary Bass of Princeton University.
US-Sino relations are better -- this very day, than at any time since "The Paris of the East, the New York of the West".
It is so very sad that we bicker over every insane thing that Trump does in this country while very real and brutal things are happening to very real people at the hands of ruthless tyrants. And we have no sanity in Washington trying to help them.
Trump is the symptom of our nation’s disease. We must heal ourselves otherwise this president will be the first of more like him to come.
1
If Trump had his way he would probably jail every journalist or media person in the country for looking at him funny, everyone except FOX news guys who make up most of his viewing enjoyment. None of us like people who abuse guns and commit atrocities, but we do like our due process rights and if Trump had his way all that would disappear. Journalists beware as we all should.
2
I would like to watch Bananas again except this time it would make me cry instead of laugh and feel conflicted over it being a Woody Allen movie.
2
Dear Mr. Kristof:
A partial quote from your 03-14-2018 column, which included a reference to genocide in Myanmar: "...with soldiers throwing babies onto bonfires as they raped the mothers..." To my mind, sir, these horrific activities are not much short of the Holocaust, if not equal in horror, if not in number. Sir, in the most respectful terms I can ask: WHAT CAN WE DO? After WWII and Americans, particularly the Jewish community, were united in "...never again..." not so different than the chants of our teens following the Parkland massacre. But, I ask, how much longer will American pols, America, the once brightest spotlight on human rights, sit on their hands with taped mouths as these and so many other horrors are reported with such frequency. I submit, we ARE, to a large extent the policemen of the world.
Please continue your reporting on these atrocities; nightly news broadcasts are casting a blind eye.
1
Hehehhehehe
Deporables adore Humpty Trumpty very much too!
He and his whole family, apart from wife and child, will come tumbling down, and maybe the USA will be sorely wounded in the process.
If you live in Wisc or Mich and you stayed home or voted for Humpty Trumpty, how's it feel?
1
The election exposed a gaping wound in our republican democracy as the very mechanism that was to weed out incompetent demagogues enabled Trump's narrow (huge in his eyes) electoral college victory. Trump showed that one with the charisma of Lonesome Rhodes, the Andy Griffith character in A FACE IN THE CROWD, could capture the imagination of enough of the heartland to be serious threat to win an election. Our fascination with celebrity scares me.
One particularly vile dictatorship has escaped your attention, Mr. Kristof: an oil-exporting middle-eastern country named after the ruling family; where women still (although one hopes this will change) are not allowed to drive and where they cannot travel without a male guardian; where churches, synagogues and all other expression of the non-state religion are banned publicly; where minority Muslims are persecuted; which exports a violently Puritanical form of Islam indistinguishable from Al-Qaeda's, the Taliban's, and Daesh's; and where Mr. Trump chose to make his first foreign visit.
1
Trump would love to be a dictator himself...the only thing that surprises me is that he has not tried it yet (maybe he is waiting for the right moment)
1
Watch videos of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un applauding. Donald Trump expects the same from everyone, but, unlike Kim, he can't kill us if we don't applaud.
Trump wasn't serious about killing drug dealers. It would require killing too many of his white, opiate-addicted voters.
Trump & Sycophants are so bad that I've come to think Pence might not be worse! Seriously, I don't see how this country can survive much more of Trump and his dangerous behavior. Tom Steyer is right: Impeach Trump.
Trump represents a minority of this country. If you took a popular vote my guess is that 100mm people would say they don't want him as POTUS.
How did we get such a horrible excuse of a person as POTUS.He is not my POTUS. He is not a lot of people's President. We are not a small country and we supposedly are a democracy.
Trump would not get hired at most companies, he does not read or prepare himself, he does not analyze.
However, sadly, he is good at maintaining power and using other people's money for his own benefit.
There are so many smart people in this country, people who want to improve the world for the better, humanitarians, how is Trump still in office? He does not represent this country, he lies every day, he steals, he cheats, he breaks rules yet he still is in office?
What gets me sad and distressed is that by the time he is finally removed all the damage he will have done, like a hurricane.
The US is a democracy not a dictatorship why are checks and balances not working, why are we not giving so much power to this horrible person?
3
There’s a saying: “If you can’t beat them, join them.” Under normal circumstances it would have explained why Trump loves dictators. But many world leaders are also narcissists. However Trump lacks the knowledge, acumen and judiciousness to compensate his shortcomings. Like an unruly child who constantly yearns for attention by throwing tantrums, he chooses to be authoritarian in order to command the respect and admiration he desperately seeks.
While we see Trump as a moron and laught at him, we can’t laugh at Putin and Xi, because they pose a much bigger threat to global security than Trump does. This has America’s Constitution, its resilient civil society and robust institutions to thank for. Yes, Trump is a disgrace and a thorn in our side, but unlike Xi Jinping and Putin, he has term limits. Americans will survive his presidency.
2
So what can we tell him when our president urged the crowd to chant "Lock her up!" during his campaign?
Trump's reputation was deplorable long before he ran for president, but some voters decided not to care about that and voted for him anyway. The Republican party supported him 100% when they thought they could take advantage of him while he lied to American workers saying he would bring their jobs back. Trump is the Frankenstein monster created by the GOP and they aren't about to disavow him for anything he does.
So why do Republicans continue to fail to press him to pass sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign? Congress, by majority, agreed that the meddling took place. So why can't Congress now force Trump to approve the sanctions in view of current evidence? Is it because of his insistence that there was no collusion? I say that his reluctance proves there was collusion and he is very much at the center of it.
Americans should rise up and demand that he enforce these sanctions or tell us why on the record.
Is he a Putin puppet and what do they have on him?
1
Donald: the GOP did not support Trump! in fact, both former Bush Presidents despised him and opposed him -- they said they were voting for HIlary. They did not attend the convention! did you forget that Senator Cruz WALKED out of the convention? or that Paul Ryan refused to campaign for Trump?
The truth is the GOP wanted to run either Rubio or Jeb(!) but neither of them got widespread support from the public. The GOP was as shocked and horrified as anyone that Trump won the primaries -- and absolutely gobsmacked when he won the election.
I read countless columns in the summer & fall of 2016 by pathetic sad conservatives who thought the GOP was finished. GW Bush said "he would be the last GOP President in history". They were writing their own epitaphs.
Then Trump unexpectedly won, and THEN they did do a 180º and embrace him. But it was AFTER -- not before. The GOP did not create Trump, far from it. THE PUBLIC CREATED TRUMP because both parties had betrayed for years on job loss and illegal immigration issues.
1
As I read this article, I was almost brought to tears. The damage that this individual has done to our country and to the world in just over a year is almost unimaginable. And this does not even take into account his proposals to cut our country's support for life-saving health programs around the world. Thank you, Nicholas, for constantly reminding us of the importance of good journalism in this very dangerous time. Peace....
1
We have always been conflicted in the use of our power. We have supported many dictators in the Middle East. We have wrung our hands as things spiral out of control in many places. We should try to stand for good , but, we usually do not have the capacity to act. Let’s use Venezuela as an example. Obviously, the people got bamboozled by Chavez and Maduro and the country is in chaos with the assistance of the Cubans. Should we invade the place? No. Humanitarian aid? They often do not want it. Provide arms to start a civil war. I doubt it. Take millions of refugees? Perhaps. This has been unfolding for years, and neither Obama or Trump have offered anything. Congress, nothing as usual. Sure, it would have been nice if Obama and Trump regularly criticize the Venezuela leadership, but, even this has issues because Maduro will point to this as evidence of U.S. meddling. So, the big picture is that getting involved with other country’s affairs is difficult and very complicated. This is also why other Western countries are not stepping up as the U.S. influence wanes. They do not know what to do either.
15
Uh....no more refugees. We are full up. Let Canada take 'em.
And if nobody knows what to do -- on the left or the right -- not in Europe or anywhere else -- why is TRUMP to blame for that?????
1
Our government no longer listens or even pretends to listen to the-will-of-the-people."
We humans are born into a world of conflict arising from our own minds and perpetuated by every person's struggle with this fact. We struggle with our own desire to control our world to suit our personal desires while everyone else is doing the same thing. No one is exempt from this.
When one does not care about others it is easy to harm them in pursuit of this control however by doing so one prevents peace in oneself and the possibility of peace in the world; one prevents oneself from knowing that harming others harms oneself as it prevents our collective creation of the best world possible.
Dictators block the path to peaceful coexistence because they lack the knowledge, the skill and the will to do the hard work of honest self-reflection to free themselves from their own terror and allow the genuine love that exists within and between all people within themselves.
We have failed to support our democracy. Trump is the inevitable result. Only when we learn to work together as citizens to own our country will we get presidents and representatives that reflect that democracy. I suggest you look into what people are are doing and not doing to create the motivation and insights we all need to support and grow a real democracy. Unless that happens we will inevitably support the non-democratic.
Trump's open disregard for human rights is certainly worth calling out. But let's not allow the current moment to cast an ideal light on the past. U.S. Presidents before Trump said the right things when it came to defending human rights, but our country's record of interventionism and human rights violations speaks for itself. Our government's actions in Central America in the 1970s and 80s, to take one example, were justified through the highest American ideals - your usual freedom and democracy and so forth. But they were nothing if not a violation of human rights and a people's right to sovereignty.
1
It breaks my heart to read stories like this. Trump is forsaking America's long time, historical support for human rights, going all the way back to the Civil War. And it is my government doing this, with my tax dollars.
What can be done, other than waiting 3 years for this bungling mafioso to be voted out of office?
2
As an American French who lived under the anti cheese eating surrender monkey hysteria of Iraq II, I found myself still defending my president abroad, back then. Not now, not that one! My patriotism is a deep devotion to the highest ideals of a country who once raised against a ruling despot (who was actually not as bad as those described in the article). I can testify that in many countries of Asia and Europe the view of the US is the worse I have seen in my 70+ years life. #SAD!
1
Like millions of other Americans I was horrified that an ignorant man like Trump was elected President. What has gone on in his administration has been as horrific as I imagined it would be when he was elected. I was not, however, frightened just dismayed. On the domestic front I am not afraid because I believe the resistance will only get stronger. However, on an international level I'm very concerned. The President's power to wage war and other atrocities is frightening. It is so obvious that the man-child sitting in the oval office wants to use our arsenal of weapons somewhere on the planet. Given the nature of the GOP run congress I have no faith they will do anything to interfere with the "mad man in chief" I wonder if there is anything which will stop this madness?
3
We'll know it's all over when the current administration announces that, in the interest of "national security", the 2020 election will be "postponed".
Trump undermines human rights in the United States for his own citizens. Let’s not forget his persecution of the Central Park Five. Advocating the death penalty for drug pushers is a Duterte patterned move.
1
From our treatment of Native Americans to our acceptance of slavery Americans have always been capable of notorious behavior. In recent years, until the arrival of Trump, it appeared we had found our moral center. Thanks to the GOP and the deplorable voters who put Trump in Office our despicable behavior tendencies are on the rise again. This too shall pass.
2
Sure, it's a mutual admiration society restricted to dictators and wanna-be dictators.
And what amazes me is the support Trump gets from Christians. You could not find a man who is so opposite of Christian values if you tried. Let's list Trump's value. 1. Cares nothing about the poor Or oppressed. 2. Is full of pride. 3 Is a narrcisist 4. Has no humility. 5. Is imoral. 6. Is unethical. 7. Is a liar. 8. Worships money. And yet the Christians support him. Why?
10
Because they simply hate the 'other' democrat, diverse, liberal, centrist, anything unlike 'them' - and they hate without being able to define what it is they hate - the supporters are unable to think - analyse - ruse - ponder - interpret - question. They hate for hate's sake. And this cretin excretes that same hate and serves as example.
1
The people of whom you speak are not Christians. "For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray." - Matthew 24:5.
Yes, dictators love Trump and the ignorant, racist deplorables who put him in the White House love Trump. Which is why for a second year in a row the Economist Intelligence Unit has placed our country in the "flawed democracy" category of its annual democracy index. We're going to need another president to restore our respect for human rights and our standing in the rest of the world.
4
Dictatorial style is commonplace in corporate US. The situation gets much worse when the style extends to sexual harassment. Unfortunately, most of us are forced to work for a "Donald Trump". Sing "Nine to Five" along with Dolly Parton.
2
Is it just me, or does this presidency most resemble a colossal "shake down"?
3
Human rights are the basis for life on this planet. The fact that Trump doesn't see this as important is proof of just how insulated he is from the part of mankind that is suffering. He loves dictators especially when they show him how important he is. Saudi Arabia put his photo on a building five floors high. That is the way to gain the love our 'dear leader'. He can be manipulated because he is ignorant.
3
I still remember the days when the US would have had something to say about an ally withdrawing from the International Court of Justice.
"In a lengthy statement, the Philippines president accused the ICC and the UN of a crusade against him, denouncing what he described as “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person”.
“I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as president of the republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome statute [the treaty that established the ICC] effective immediately,” said Duterte. "
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/rodrigo-duterte-to-pull-ph...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/the-international-crim...
1
Rest assured Americans, the global disapproval is contingent upon the Solipsist-in-chief occupying the White House. Yes, we know that 30-something percent of you still approve of him, but we are buoyed by the remembrance that the United States of America stood long and strong beforehand despite these people.
Your constitution, your laws, your forbears provide testimony to the fact that the appallingly inhuman incumbent is an aberration, not a recasting. We look forward to your return as world leader in truth, democracy, equality and respect.
4
All well and good to express support for the USA's rule of law. But one question remains: how to restore it once a dictator has usurped it?
1
C'mon, Nick, this isn't just Trump, it's where America has been headed since Raygun. We had torture facilities in Viet Nam and we've been engaged in mass torture and mass murder ever since, especially by proxy, in Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Indonesia, Congo, Iran, Egypt, Israel and now Iraq and Afghanistan. We bomb hospitals and even MSF facilities.
And now the US is openly running a network of torture facilities and the president has appointed a notorious torturer as head of the CIA. At a time when, we all know, no one with any integrity or character would dare to be associated with Emperor Donald the First.
This isn't just Trump, this is America.
5
Let us not forget that the crusade lasted for 100 years,. Like the ar in raq, Syria and Afghanistan, and Palestine, and Yemen, these are ot wars between nations but wars between idealogies, infused by religions invoking partisan gods with no end. Like the movie Prince of Egypt (I think), Phahro's advisor tells him "our god cannot beat his (Moses') god". Hmmm.
snakes know the way of snakes.
That American politics has been dominated by Americans who do not care for other Americans, let alone for people who are non-American, for several decades, and this has led to the election of Donald Trump as the American president. Some wealthy and powerful - but arrogant and ignorant - people have done great damage to the moral and intellectual standing and the level of civility of the United States as a whole. President Trump is one of them.
3
Trump just makes public what every administration was doing in private, supporting dictators. The US foreign policy has a long history of supporting and propping up regimens who have tons of human rights violations.
2
Let us at least acknowledge, that as I awake in England, UK, that BBC World Service Radio, is reporting that in the UN Security Council the USA has unambiguously supported the UK, in opposing the alleged State attempted killings by Putin's Russia of two people in the English town of Salisbury with some sort of nerve destroying substance.
1
Nick,
Please tell them Trump has sandblasted these words off Liberty Island.
The New Colossus
BY EMMA LAZARUS
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
That is a POEM.
Emma Lazarus was a left-wing poet of her day (late 19th century).
She was not an elected official. The POEM is not US law, nor a policy of any kind and no legal standing whatsoever.
The POEM was added to the Liberty Island display about 30 years after the Statue of Liberty was erected. The poem was NEVER part of the original installation and the artist knew nothing of it.
The Statue was given to us by France to commemorate justice and freedom. She has literally nothing whatsoever to do with IMMIGRATION POLICY.
1
The Evangelicals & other so-called Christians rejected President Carter & voted for Reagan who was not religious, was a terrible father & husband, denigrated the poor & uneducated & whose policies benefited the rich & the corporations. The Evangelicals & so-called Christians have found their latest savior in The Conman. This is who they are - misogynists, racists & bigots. What would Jesus do indeed?
4
So where are all of those evangelical Christians who are Mr. Trump's most ardent supporters? Why aren't they up in arms over the president's embrace of dirty dictators and authoritarians around the world? Do they no longer care about human rights? Oh, and what about all of those pious Republicans in Congress who enable this president everyday? I guess they're OK with all of Mr. Trump's moral lapses (porn star payoffs, anyone?) because it got them there beloved tax cuts for the wealthy. Time to clean up the Trump cesspool in November.
4
What a nightmare. As a citizen I feel absolutely powerless. There are a lot of issues in the world and there are no countries that are truly willing to do anything to help people in any way.
Now with dictators and killers consolidating power what is to keep Trump from thinking he can do some of the same things?
Get these guys out of our government!
1
Trump will be over-throned, pushed out - impeached. The kids will lead the way.
I remember when the "kids" were going to create world peace -- in the 1960s -- and overthrown Nixon and there would be kumbaya throughout the world. Also the "kids" were going to elect Eugene McCarthy in 1968 and then George McGovern in 1972.
How'd that work out?
1
Mr. Kristoff’s column is accurate as far as it goes, but is negligently ahistorical. Remember Ferdinand Marcos? Maybe The Shah of Iran? How about Augusto Pinochet? Good old Juan Peron? Then there were Salazar in Portugal, Franco in Spain, and of course the entire royal ruling clan of Saudi Arabia. The point is that the U.S. has always been fine with dictators, as long as they were OUR dictators. Insofar as various and sundry of their people “suffered,” that was not our problem.
2
Puleeeeeze! Are you at all familiar with US history?
Remember the continuing coddling of an extremist monarchy in Saudi Arabia which has distorted the practice of Islam across the world?
Remember the bowing to every Pakistani dictator who funds the Taliban which kills our soldiers?
And remember that Myanmar icon you spent years extolling who now is supportive of genocide in her country?
By the way, how did that dismembering of Sudan that you so dearly wanted, go?
Nick, stay away from foreign affairs (BTW, that applies equally strongly and well to your colleague Friedman).
2
Obviously, he's planning to be our president-for-life - and dictator. We are already being pushed, crammed, and forced to submit, as cattle in the slaughterhouse. I know it's getting bad when I can actually say I'd prefer Pence.
He loves parades, gold fixtures, lavish surroundings, loyal retainers who will smooth his comings and goings, and invitation only gatherings where he is hailed as the host of hosts. What need needs complete the transformation is a survial Congress and an obedient Court to interpret his will for the masses.
Trump cares little about anyone beyond himself. I was going to say his family, but he may soon be throwing Kushner under the bus, and while Ivanka is still deemed worthy of this admiration, I hear nothing from his lips about his other daughter, and the only thing I've heard lately about his wife is a back-handed compliment about her being on a Blue Chip panel (which he then denounced). So it should come as no surprise that he has not focused on how humans are treated globally. He, despite his TV spot on Parkland, done little to protect us here. I don't think he even knows geographically where the human abuses are happening. His admiration of dictators is that they seem to have absolute power...which to his disturbed mind equates with admiration and respect. He has tried all his life to achieve the status of those around him: those with power, those with money, those who have a high society standing, those who have good "ratings". The path of destruction that he has created has no space for human rights.
"Bipartisan consensus on human rights that goes back decades"?
Really? Were you thinking of the bi-partisan consensus to support dictators throughout the Middle East, to whom we used to send suspects picked up off the street for torture, before we started doing the torture ourselves?
Or perhaps you were thinking of the bipartisan support we lent to mass-murder of civilians in Indonesia and East Timor?
Or maybe it was the right-wing military regimes in Latin America, so adept at killing and terrorizing their own populations -- militaries for domestic use only?
Or maybe it was Jonas Savimbi, whose war on the population of Angola left an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 civilian amputees, and who was describe by our government as a "freedom fighter"?
That's some bi-partisan consensus you've got there....
1
It's a dangerous not only for America but for those countries too.
American Govt and people might pay a heavy price for a long time to come due to failure of US leadership in the world. Trump seems to be pushing the world into the clutches of other dictators (in countries like China, Russia, Saudi Arab, Iran etc.), who have proven ability in that department with absolutely no legal or constitutional oversight, unlike Trump. They will easily beat Trump on its own game that Trump hardly knows about beyond his own little kingdom of Trump companies.
2
American influence in the world did not actually come from its mighty military. It's mainly due to what people call 'soft power'. Trump is destroying that and naively think that military might can earn respect and get/improve American influence- even though he has at least 3 wars to get his wisdom from, where US military is involved since many years and the situation is not much great in any of those. And all these countries (/enemies') are least technologically developed and dirt poor. Yet we can not win wars with the most expensive and tech savvy military costing billions of $ for American tax payers each year.
1
How now to consider Trump's condemnation and sanctions against the Maduro government in Venezuela?
Maybe we would all have been better off if he had kept his nose out of it.
It provided Maduro with evidence of his so often-cited gringo conspiracy against Venezuela, to steal their crude oil.
But their's is more of an anti-Democratic, military- supported dictatorship than a glaring violation of basic human rights.
Unless of course we consider food and medical care to be within the sphere of human rights, which obviously we do not.
As i have written here at the "Times", the path of 'globalism' has two trajectories: 'global democracy' or 'global Empire'.
Faux-Emperor, and 'Distractor in Chief' [DIC], Trump while playing the 'role' of a global President is actually promoting the PR image of a global Emperor --- both for countries and aggressive populist leaders 'abroad', and here 'at home' though his press-described "blood-bath" of chaos and dictatorial Tweeted removals of cabinet and senior people in a 'bunkered' White House (which might be termed a "Night of the Long Tweets").
As the late great Jewish public intellectual and political theorist, Hannah Arendt, warned her own and all people of all Empires, "Empire abroad entails tyranny at home" --- and in this sense only, Trump's presidency is certainly making a great deal of progress on both these 'battle fronts' toward global Empire.
1
In the past, human rights was at least one thread of our foreign policy. This was pursued inconsistently, grudgingly or hypocritically, and it jostled constantly with realpolitik considerations, but in the past it was one of the factors in play.
What a sanitized way of talking about the mass carnage the US is responsible for.
1
I have wondered why, given his embrace of dictators, Trump is so critical and punitive toward the Cuban regime? Surely he is not personally worried about the limited freedom of the press there? As I thought about it, Cuba is working its way toward a more democratic socialism, with exemplary free health care and education for all, support for the arts on all levels and an opening to private enterprises. As someone who has visited there recently, I know the Cubans are eager to have normal relations with the US and feel that would hasten the liberalization. While the Trump administration condemns the government there, could it be that Raul Castro is just not kind of cruel autocrat that Trump prefers- that he is allowing elections and has been liberalizing his society, albeit very slowly? Castro does not fit the image of leaders like Duerte, Putin and others who care more for their power and wealth than the welfare of their people.But Trump's despicable treatment of Cuba arises soley from his caring only for the votes of his shrinking base.
1
Trump may love dictators, and they him, buy why not call out the real bad guys -the real amoral ones - those who head up corporate America?
1
Yes, Trump is a wannabe dictator who has nothing but admiration for the likes of well-known dictators such as Putin, Al-Sissi, Duterte, Erdogan, etc.
Trump can be controlled, however, if his Republican enablers in Congress are tossed over the side in November 2018.
VOTE.
And now a known torturer has been nominated to lead the CIA.
Trump meeting with NK dictator will be a love fest - for sure.
First off, trump only cares about himself, winning, looking good and having power over people. These are the perfect traits for a Dictator. Second, trump has no interest in human rights. He believes the little person is there to serve him and the elites.
1
The Donald has no empathy, therefore is incapable of feeling anything for the victims of our later day Kublai Kahns. I have been overseas several times since Putin aided The Donald in seizing power - our former allies are just aghast at what has happened to what was once the leader of all things good and democratic.
I cannot even estimate how many people approached me, once they knew that I was an American, with an opening of "what is your feeling about Trump?" Once my opposition to The Donald was clear a sigh of relief and then an airing of grievances.
It is going to take yeoman's work to undo the damage that America has unleashed on the World.
Trump manages to perform a miracle every day. He embodies every dreadful characteristic of our nation. His leadership is by complaint. His rhetoric feeds on the bottom of language. His truth lacks evidence. His friendship is transactional. His respect is only for the strong. His values are not found in either the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution. His word is worthless.
These are the characteristics of our president. Pray they do not become the sum of our national character.
When Trump struts about the world stage, empowering the anti-democratic and murderous, he is, in reality, just expressing the views of many of his voters. That is the thing that is the most frightening to me, that America has so many people who hate democracy and love Kim Jong Un style family politics that leave so many lifeless. I don't see any real difference between the style of Trump and that of the leader of North Korea.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
1
When you cozy up with Russian oligarchs and prize dictator's ability to "make it so" your name is Trump. He is from the Rule the Earth / Dominion over the Earth school of thought. His hierarchical views mean that he and others like him are simply more justified because in his mind he "knows better" and in doing so he looks down on people - contrary to his rep as a populist and man of the people. His base would earn his disdain were they to show up on his doorstep to borrow a cup of sugar.
Trump is creating a situation where many more countries in the world will become more unstable, people will be forced to become refugees and immigrants. Many would be more desperate to cross border- both legally and illegally. Western countries will have to bear the burden and Trump thinks his 'strong' but naive immigration policy can protect America?
Sadly, we can not do much at this stage and have to wait till November this year- at least and probably Nov 2020, till we defeat Trump and those Congressmen who became Trump's cheerleaders and friends in his crimes.
1
That Trump is in power, and will likely stay there for years, is a stain on us all. Even if Trump is removed, the stain on each of us is indelible.
A most important and revealing column by Nicholas Kristof.
Are we approaching the point where if Trump and his Russian "love", Putin, were able to miraculously exchange places, who would notice?
One of the reasons he likes these dictators is they kiss up to him. This is man who craves attention and adulation. They need recognition from someone of his stature so they will give it in public. Trump wants so much to have the power they have to do anything without consequences so he sees them as only strong men. Something he has always wanted to be.
Trump has been "grooming" the American public since his campaign for the Presidency to accept his dictatorial rule in whatever manner he chooses it be, and he continues with his method to this day. And why exactly should he stop? We have already proven ourselves to be a nation, an entire nation of people who either don't care or feel utterly powerless to do anything of a civilized nature to stop him. Checks and balances? We don't have any. Principles? You can read about them in history books. Empathy? We don't really feel anyone else's pain, not really, not enough to actually do anything, like remove a self serving despot from the Office of the Presidency.
This can't go on forever. The only question is just how ugly it is going to get before the winds of change blow through, and how strong that wind will be. History warns that change can be a strong wind indeed. Democracy was supposed to be a check on that sort of destruction. Maybe it can be yet, but I'm losing faith in civility, and that disturbs me more than anything.
Trump only speaks out on on human rights abuses when he and his advisors feel it is politically expedient and when the leaders of the offending countries have not sung his praises- even then there is no guarantee.
Trump spoke last year of “the innocent beautiful babies” slaughtered in Bashar al Assad’s chemical attacks, but says not a word about the Rohynga babies slaughtered by the military in Myanmar. I guess some babies are more “beautiful and innocent” than others.
Trump is only a dictator "wanna-be", waiting and (hopefully NOT) planning for such a situation to unfold here in the US. Trump has joked about how having what China now has with a leader for life, maybe being something we should try here in the US. Was he serious or putting us off-guard and having us just not believe it but then someday actually making all of the (traitorous) moves to make that happen (and then we'll look back and wonder why we never took him seriously when he "warned" us of his desire to be a President for life). We have a Rule of Law and a process to adhere to, in defending our democratic form of govt., which should dissuade and prevent this from occurring.
However, the GOP is eerily silent on doing anything to upset or oppose Trump. They want to do his will and bidding in both houses of Congress. And now, with the Russian scandal, Trump has likely crossed the line of any legal measure so many times, it will be even more difficult for the GOP to condemn him as doing so will showcase them as the ones to blame for his power.
With the apathy present in our country, and with those who seem to be willing to be the sheep for Trump and his cause, we are moving in a very dangerous direction. Could we see the end of our democracy? Could we be just another "stan" (a satellite) of Russia?
Approval by Trump of torture, horrid acts by dictators around the world which are against the human rights we have cherished, shows that the oath of office was a sham.
The sad and horrible truth about Donald Trump is that like most bullies, he's never met a dictator he doesn't like.
It's a control thing.
But the truly most frightening aspect of this all is that he is the president of the United States, which he runs not only like one of his own failed businesses, but also like his very own personal bank.
The warning flags should have gone up for every American at the first sign of his blatant lack of knowledge and disregard for the U.S. Constitution, which is the cornerstone of our very democracy -- which also explains why Mr. Trump would be in awe of a Vladimir Putin, Rodrigo Duterte, Bashar al-Assad, and if they were still alive, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot.
This all does not bode well for United States, which in the short space of just one year has become the laughing stock on the world stage.
And as we watch our civil liberties here at home disappear one by one by an indecisive president and a "more hawkish" Secretary of State, one can only hope that those who were blindsided enough to fall for Trump's phony nationalist banter begin to wake up.
Just like they have in the 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
1
Honestly, with the long record of collaborating with Middle Eastern tiranies, running chains of secret prison all over the world, having too much people in prison, and still carrying out capital punishment, US should stay humble in educating others about human rights.
1
Trump has only been President for one year. What good has been done by the US meddling in the politics of foreign countries under the banner of human rights? North Korea? Afghanistan? .... Show me one success story. Maybe part of the reason for the Trump support is that blue collar workers are sick and tired of their young people dying and getting maimed on foreign shores without a compelling national interest at stake.
1
The problem with "leaders" who support dictators and torture is that people voted for them. People in this country are full of hate and fear and he feeds that, with a lot of help from the GOP and "religious christians" like Paul Ryan. The idea that we are one human race on one planet is so unreal to all of them. The never heard of the golden rule. We have the government we deserve until and unless ALL the people who are not like that (and they exist) go VOTE!!!
7
There's something else going on in the U.S. DT is obviously acting like a dictator and others of that kind know it. Then add the complacent GOP legislators who think they control him, when in reality he holds them in disdain. I still think before the 2018 elections DT will pull a "Richestag fire" like event. He's lining his cabinet with people who would likely support that. He's laying ground work by making the press the enemy, and other institutions that could check his insane lust for power. He's building the tinder, people. All he needs is a match.
6
Okay, Trump is a sleazy, greasy dumpster fire of an individual, worthy of all the negative adjectives the collective wisdom of a NY Times comments section can throw at him. But the real question is doing something about it.
It appears, unless Mr. Mueller has something up his sleeve no one has yet speculated about, that we're going to have Le Grand Orange in the Oval Office until at least 2020. (Technically, the beginning of 2021.) The Republican enablers in Congress are not going to allow impeachment hearings.
So the course of action is obvious. This November, get those Republican enablers out of Congress. Get a Democratic majority in there that, even if it can't impeach Trump, can stand in the way of a lot of his, and his supporters, dismantling of the nation.
Ensure you are registered to vote. Ensure everyone around you is registered to vote. Ensure that on Election Day, you and everyone around you goes to vote. Stand in that long line if you have to--and in a lot of voter suppression states, you'll have to--bring snacks and music, and electronic recording devices to show just what these enablers make you wait through to vote. And those devices are handy for recording the inevitable encounters with election officials that will claim certain inconvenient people are not eligible to vote.
Short of violent uprising, people--never a good idea-- this is the only option. We all know it. Now go do it.
14
All we need do is look at the trail of bankruptcies, stiffed contractors, people abused and demeaned by Trump to know where his Presidency ends. Shambles. Why would he treat this job any differently than he did his real estate and business career? It’s only about him.
And the Rohinga? To Trump a tiresome detail. Unworthy of notice.
2
Every person is loved by God and made in His image. They are worthy of the same respect and concern as all Americans. The United States used to be a beacon of hope for the world and oppressed peoples everywhere. Trump, our "so-called" president has changed all that and we are now seen as selfish, greedy and only concerned for are own welfare, which completely represents Trump, but not the rest of us. Let's do all we can to turn this ship around come midterms. Vote out all those who allowed this to happen.
6
There is an old country blues song called "Mind Your Own Business". One of the verses says "If you mind your own business, you'll be busy all the time" . This is a lesson our foreign policy could learn.
We have not been given the mandate to be Texas Ranger to the world. It is no more our place to intervene into other countries business than it would have been for the British to have intervened in slavery in 1850 or for Russia to have intervened in our civil rights problems in the 1050's.
1
The real disturbing thing is that the Republicans support him, as do 30% of the population. They think a 'strong' leader that can vanquish any perceived foe is what is needed to MAGA. In reality, all it does is make America less, not great. The Trump administration's real motto is MALA (Making America Less American).
2
Hang on a minute. "The United States used to stand up for human rights,?" Trump has no respect for human rights and embraces other leaders with no respect for human rights, but let's not gloss over the sometimes terrible record this country has had under other leaders. The U.S. has done good in the world but also plenty of vile, despicable things. It's worse now, maybe way worse, but giving ourselves a pass on our history isn't the right approach either.
1
And I am quite certain that Trump, left to his own devices, would have the talented, good and decent Mr. Kristof imprisoned or worse. America is at its historical worst under Trump and the Republicans presently in Congress. If I were an outsider looking upon America objectively, I would consider the country the craziest and, at present, most morally bankrupt place on the planet. How does a country swing overnight from the brilliance, thoughtfulness and decency of Barack Obama to the ignorance, hatred, corruption and vulgarity of Donald Trump? Only a very sick, distorted and troubled place could pull something like that off. And my literal recurring nightmare is watching Trump styling his hair in a mirror, his bouffant revealing a pair of sharpened horns. Yes, the devil himself. I never imagined I could find myself stuck, against my will, in this daily nightmare called the United States of America. If we are to survive as a force for good in the world, we need to forcefully rid ourselves of the evil which resides within this country. Like the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II and the Civil Rights movement, this is an essential battle between good and evil, right and wrong, freedom or enslavement. I definitely know which side I'm on but I am not the least bit confident in the ultimate outcome.
5
IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE TO "LOVE" A DEMOCRACY To Death, by strangling it. Trump regales in inflicting the worst of his atrocious personality traits on the US democracy and those around the world, all of which makes him popular among dictators, tyrants and monsters around the world, like Putin, Duterte, Maduro and others.
2
Trump is indeed a disaster for human rights, the environment and any kind of social program in the US. But this does not imply that the US was a beacon for human rights before him. Chile, Nicaragua, Iraq, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Egypt Brazil ...the US has constantly supported dictatorships or instigated them. Trumpwashing is bad analysis. The torture program of the George W Bush administration was, apparently, coordinated from Cheney's office. The US incarceration rate is also a disaster for America's soft power, not just awful Trump.
1
How can we expect to uphold human rights in other countries, when we can't even ban the death penalty here in the US? Shame on us.
2
Sadly, the only folks reading this thoughtful column are folks who are ready to vote-out the GOP in the fall anyway. Get out there folks and get your traditional GOP friends to save democracy and vote-out the GOP! (Sad, but necessary.)
The US has lost its clothes, and has lost any moral authority to preach to the world about human rights. Our vulgar incompetent first citizen is the epitome of the ugly American. Trump admires dictators around the world and has already destroyed our credibility around the world. Why would any nation make policy with a country, that can render agreements null and void every 4 years. Not even our citizens are safe from this incompetent administration. Healthcare anxiety over Trump and the GOP trying to sabotage the ACA, Devos making sure public schools are underfunded and college is expensive. Pruitt destroying the EPA, Carson gutting HUD. At to this a massive tax give away to the wealthy and a huge corporation tax break break, all of which will mushroom the debt and diminish the governments ability to take care of business. Hard to have much confidence in the the future of the US, our future is not so bright and the bulb of freedom is burning out. As the sun is setting on the US, it's surely rising in the east.
Gina Haspel was the madame of torture for George W. Bush and the CIA during the Iraq war. Ginas torturing was considered so illegal and un American that it was only conducted outside the territory of the United States.
It's important to remember that we Americans have been committing crimes against humanity throughout the years including the American War in Vietnam at My Lai as well as targeted assassinations by Barack Obama using the drone program.
For Trump to simply continue torturing and killing in this manner should not be considered his invention but more honestly as a long American tradition.
This doesn't excuse Trump but is a reminder that America doesn't just need a new president but more plainly it needs a new moral code.
Making Gina the Torturer the new director of the CIA is not a good start!
2
Trump as people are now beginning to realise in increasing numbers simply lacks empathy for others. If it did not happen to him or his children he couldn't care less. This is an affliction suffered by many conservatives it's just out in the full light of day when it comes to a Trump.
1
There's a lot of hand-wringing done in this column, but we as a nation haven't done much to stand up for human rights for quite a while. Bill Clinton, for example, was so terrified of actually having to do something to stop the genocide in Rwanda that he actually forbade people in his administration to use the term "genocide" when referring to it. Why? Because that word is so loaded it would have necessitated action.
George W. Bush, frustrated with his inability to get his way on something or other, famously said, “If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier... as long as I'm the dictator. Hehehe.”
Not to mention that Dubya's administration committed the definitive warcrime by illegally invading Iraq in violation of the Nuremberg Principles, which we helped write after World War II. That's when we sank to the new low of having government lawyers redefine waterboarding as "enhanced interrogation" rather than torture.
And Obama wrung his hands about things, but did nothing to stop them. Big deal.
Trump makes plain what any informed person knows: as policy, the United States hasn't cared about human rights for quite a while except when it benefits it to do so. If we really care, we'll get rid of the Republicans in Congress in November, and send Trump back to his tower in 2020.
2
In the end, you admit that no matter what Trump does, you and the "foreign policy" establishment will disapprove. I am not Trump fan. He is boorish, offensive, crude, and either ignorant of or hostile to some of our most fundamental values. That having been said, you fail to articulate a coherent policy regarding human rights. What you suggest is that some hodgepodge of sometimes making human rights a policy priorities is the right approach, without a clear definition of how and when. Did Obama's withdrawal from Iraq promote human rights? No, just the opposite, but Bush's invasion of Iraq did. Did Obama's failure to enforce his own red line in Syria promote human rights? No, just the opposite. For years you have been promoting engagement with North Korea, arguably the worst human rights offender in the world. With all things foreign policy, there is no objectivity to the claims of so-called experts. They produce hand wave analysis in Foreign Affairs magazine with absolutely no empiricism. Ultimately your complaint against Trump is that his "heart" is not in the right place. So, I suspect that Trump is getting a lot wrong, but I see no rational alternative offered by his critics, and I will wait to see the results and judge them objectively.
1
For most of the time since the 2016 elections, Kristof and the hysterical left has claimed Trump was a hot head who was going to incite a war with North Korea -- a hot war, with nukes -- maybe even destroy the entire planet.
They blamed him for increasing conflict with North Korea even though most of the threats came from Kim Jong Un.
VP Pence was even mocked for not kissing up to Kim Jong Un's sister at the Olympics!!!
But NOW when North Korea has gone to the Olympics -- made overtures to South Korea -- and offered peace talks -- instead of saying "gee, maybe Trump was correct to talk tough to Kim Jong Un" -- INSTEAD the left is now hysterical, enraged and crazy anyways, claiming "the peace talks will fail and Trump will STILL go to war".
So basically Trump is damned if he does and damned if he does not.
Let's not forget that Obama was given a Nobel Peace Prize for LITERALLY nothing whatsoever.
If Obama had achieved peace talks with North Korea....he'd be hailed by Kristof and the lefty media as a saint-like hero.
Trump has also united the majority of Americans....against Trumpers...this is no longer liberal vs. conservative...it is human rights vs. repression, and the outcome is of significance to all of humanity.
There is another frightening angle to this as well. If dictators love Trump and Trump loves them and enough American's voted for Trump, then American's love dictators.
'Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence'.
I have been a fan of your since the 90's, but confess to being disappointed. I am not accusing you of dissembling, but ask that you please link to sources when saying things like, "He has spoken sympathetically of the Chinese government’s massacres of pro-democracy protesters in 1989, and of Saddam Hussein’s approach to counterterrorism." Charges this severe need to have references, especially in newspaper of the Times' stature,
Thank you for writing this article, it is beyond important.
2
The photograph of Trump with Duterte says it all.
It is noteworthy that the current president looks very different when in the company of autocrats. He exudes warmth and respect. Compare this to how he looks in the company of the democratically elected leaders of the world. The photographs and news clippings paint a very different picture - of a disdainful and contemptuous man, often meeting his counterparts with a sneer and a cold smugness.
But the international drop in the approval of the United States is not just a reflection of attitudes to Trump it is about his legacy. It reflects a growing realization of the significance and meaning of his continuing popularity with so many of the US electorate and the level of support he enjoys from Republicans in Congress.
66
Of course he looks out of sorts with democratically elected leaders.
1. They are intelligent. He isn't.
2. They are secure in the legitimacy of their offices. Trump knows his presidency is an accident.
3. They have honed their careers by knowing how to deal with people, facts, policy. Trump has always let others do his dirty work.
4. They speak intelligently. Trump can't.
5. They have to at least pretend to care about the people they represent. Trump doesn't care and doesn't care who knows it.
6 - infinity.
3
Once a reputation is lost it's almost impossible to repair the damage. The US is imperfect and too often has supported repressive regimes because of corporate greed but at least we played lip service to the concept of human rights. Trump is the first president to openly embrace violence against citizens as a solution for the government to shutdown protestors. That's a disturbing red line that never should have been crossed. I'm not sure where we go from here as a nation. Being ashamed of my country is a new and unpleasant experience.
2
For some reason, Mr. Kristof ignores the fact that Nikki Haley has repeatedly criticized the barbarism of the Syrians and has likewise criticized the Russians for defending the Syrians. https://www.nbcnews.com/…/nikki-haley-calls-out-russia-for-…
Ms. Haley has also attacked Myanmar over its treatment of the Rohingya. http://www.firstpost.com/world/rohingya-crisis-nikki-haley-urges-countri...
And the US is no friend of Erdogan's. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-24/trump-tells-erdogan-h...
Mr. Kristof picks and chooses statements suggesting that Mr. Trump befriends dictators. In doing so, he misrepresents the truth. His account is slanted, unreliable and, in places, flagrantly false. If you defend his account, you, too, have abandoned the truth. Trump is a terrible president. But it is hardly surprising that journalists who lie are under attack.
1
Everybody knows what Mr. Trump is saying and doing. His words and actions are the exact opposite of what Ambassador Haley is advocating for at the UN. Moreover, the free press is a lynchpin of our democracy. You won't win points with this citizen by demonizing journalists.
michjas wrote:
"For some reason, Mr. Kristof ignores the fact that Nikki Haley has repeatedly criticized the barbarism of the Syrians and has likewise criticized the Russians for defending the Syrians. https://www.nbcnews.com/…/nikki-haley-calls-out-russia-for-…
Ms. Haley has also attacked Myanmar over its treatment of the Rohingya. http://www.firstpost.com/world/rohingya-crisis-nikki-haley-urges-countri...
And the US is no friend of Erdogan's. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-24/trump-tells-erdogan-h...
Mr. Kristof picks and chooses statements suggesting that Mr. Trump befriends dictators. In doing so, he misrepresents the truth. His account is slanted, unreliable and, in places, flagrantly false. If you defend his account, you, too, have abandoned the truth. Trump is a terrible president. But it is hardly surprising that journalists who lie are under attack."
Paranoid though it sounds, how long before people opposing them in this country are made to disappear, or at the very least are jailed on fictitious charges?
I'll take a healthy dose of Realpolitik over hand-wringing any day. The so-called "standing up for human rights" hasn't done much over the last few decades. The internet has done more to upset dictators than any weasel words from the White House (although the successors to the upset dictators haven't improved on their predecessors).
You want to influence the government of another country? Show up with an aircraft carrier an the will to use it. Everything else is propaganda.
Dear Mr. Kristof,
True that Trump loves dictators, but can we stop with the official line that the US "loves human rights?" No we don't. Whenever we found it convenient, we have toppled democratically elected governments around the world, supported brutal dictators like Pinochet, the apartheid government of South Africa, Marcos (before turning on him), Noriega (before turning on him), the corrupt Saudi and Kuwaiti royal families, and on and on. Right now, we are pretending to be shocked that we carried out torture at the black sites after 9/11.
The difference with Trump is he doesn't even respect human rights here in America.
What a mortification and a dishonor that the US voted in a man who apparently never took anything very seriously, and nothing in particular was expected of him. His admiration for autocrats and dictators must have been learned early, as was his disdain for women, bigotry toward blacks, and general intolerance for anyone or anything that does not fit into his world view.
I am only 4 years younger, and I can only think this world view was inculcated by his father and bolstered by his employees, friends, and hangers-on. I can't remember anyone in my home school system or my college who acted the way he does, and I also attended a prestigious institution. Who ever said no to Donald Trump?
His major claim to fame was a TV reality show where, at some point, without doing any work or making any decisions, he was told to say, "You're fired!" And it was all entertainment, all fake.
He does not understand the US Constitution; he does not read, and obtains his news from a cable TV news channel well-known for being more entertainment than news.
He is, in a word, ignorant. And no matter how popular he is, an ignorant person who cannot understand human rights and
the values in the Constitution can never truly lead the free world.
Trump's base was duped, and many of them simply do not understand how negative his thoughts and actions are for our nation. I'm sorry they need to learn the very hardest way.
1
Mr Kristof
Perhaps you are distressed with Trump's indulgence towards today's dictators who are bona fide enemies of democracy.
I am more concerned with the leniency of America's former friends towards Trump regime's unabashed destruction of his country's core political values.
To counter Emmanuel Macron's disgraceful show of hospitality towards Trump last summer (end result : stimulate Trump's yearning for a proper military parade....), I urge French citizens to start a petition drive to reclaim the Statue of Liberty whose place in Trump's hometown is both an affront to France and the democratic values which no longer hold sway in the United States. A country of entrenched racism, wanton violence, too ethically bankrupt today to have any positive influence on foreign affairs.
Just keep telling the truth. Someday the "deaf" will hear and the "blind" see. I only hope that it isn't too late.
When politicians have previously spoken of the United States as an "indispensable nation" it is our stance on human rights to which they refer. The absence of American moral authority, or at least our willingness to advocate, creates a vacuum. Do we really expect nations like Russia and China to advocate for human rights? Both of those nations have no concept of human rights.
That Trump is so openly admiring and embracing of dictators and autocrats is revolting and alarming. There is no justification for it, beyond what it illuminates about his lack of moral integrity and indifference to how it erodes our standing in the world.
Are Congressional Republicans so addicted to power that they will overlook and excuse this? Are Trump voters willing to excuse their avatar for literally "palling around with terrorists"? Apparently so, and that is damning in its own right.
Each day that passes under this administration corrodes the long and painstaking work of countless thousands who have dedicated their lives to the premise of basic human dignity and the advocacy for peace and justice. Trump's actions against this are an insult to those individuals and to all of us who share those crucial goals and ideals.
Trump's version of "America" is going to be relatively short-lived. That's our only defense; we just need to make it so by voting Trump and his sycophants into oblivion.
The US has always loved Dictators, whether they be the Shah of Iran, the generals of South Vietnam, the Korean generals, Suharto, Pakistani Dictators and generals, middle eastern kings, Egypt or the Lat Am dictators. The truth is that Dictators are easy to deal with because they don't have to worry about public opinion, they are easy to control, bully and buy off and American diplomats in general do not have the patience to develop real relations, understand real issues or learn from history. The biggest myth is that Americans stand for human rights and democracy. That is just posturing done for the local public whether they be democrat or republican, to make people feel good while we bomb innocent people for no real reason.
41
"The biggest myth is that Americans stand for human rights and democracy. That is just posturing done for the local public whether they be democrat or republican, to make people feel good while we bomb innocent people for no real reason."
Follow the money.
Financial advantage for some people is there - everytime.
1
The Bushes and even Obama, fanned over the Saudi kings. Eeks
2
Look, Trump has made himself a dictator in many ways already. Using ICE as his goon squad. Refusing press conferences. Unilaterally opening public lands to pillage. Gutting the federal government. Allowing his kleptocrat friends to jet around the world and redecorate their offices instead of serving any public interest. There's every reason to believe he's doing plenty of this at the behest of a foreign power, and also that he wasn't actually elected fair and square. When can we stop framing this as one man's appalling incompetence and destructiveness and admit we're the victims of a soft coup? What happens if, as Vanity Fair warns, he replaces Sessions with Pruitt and fires Mueller? How is there any stop to his power then? What if he decides to launch a war on N Korea after failed peace talks and decides to suspend elections? How much crazier is that than anything else that's already happened? And he has his core followers, all armed to the teeth.
When Trump praises dictator and admires their repressive brutality, it's not hot air. It's his road map.
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First things first: it's not up to the USA to decide who is and who isn't a dictator. And it's not up to the USA (and friends) to decide what is and what isn't "human rights". It's up to each people of each country to decide what their respective countries really is, and when to change it - that's the core principle of sovereignity.
Second, there's an abyss between what the USA publicly says and what it does - even by its own standards (the so-called "human rights", "democracy").
5
And, also one of the first things to consider: should our President praise people like Duterte and Putin? Should he voice support and admiration for them?
I do believe that was the point of this article. Trump is not you, he is the leader of our country. That is the point. Otherwise, yes.. you are correct.
By definition a dictator is "a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force." It's a label - overused sometimes.
I essentially agree with what you're saying. We are not in a position to preach what is the best form of government for another country. It can be arrogant and narrow-minded to do so. It would generally be best for all concerned if we did not play god and (try to) impose our system of government on others. In the extreme, horrible as life might be under a Tito or a Hussein, we've seen it can get a whole lot worse when we intervene and abruptly destroy the existing power structure.
Nobody gets it quite right. We in the US certainly haven't. But a country with a relatively open society, a government with separation of powers, and freedom of the press has a much better chance at it than a tightly controlled autocracy.
1
I contend that it’s a human right not to have my daughter raped and burned and my son shot dead in front of me.
Your comment is facile, “the US does/did bad things too so let’s move on.”
Shame on you.
One of the most obvious character traits in DJT is cruelty. We saw that when he mocked a disabled man during the campaign. We saw it in the way he fired Rex Tillerson. We see it in his name calling of political opponents, the latest being Conor Lamb. Therefore, it makes sense that a person who bases his own life on being cruel to others would feel a bond with world leaders who live and govern through cruelty. None of this is a mystery. What continues to astound is, how on earth did we manage to elect someone like this to the presidency? The fault is not so much in DJT as it is in us, collectively, as a nation. The fact that there are a large number of Americans who still enthusiastically support Trump in spite of everything we have seen of him, including what Nick has written about here, speaks volumes about the true character of our country.
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I agree with you David. As much as I am absolutely astounded on a daily basis at the inexcusable shameful behavior from DJT. However what I find more appalling is first the number of people who voted for him, the number of people who are able to justify his behavior and look the other way, and most astonishing to me is the Rebuplicans in office that say nothing, do nothing. Seriously we have just been set back 50 years in terms of human rights, environmental protections, and common courtesy. I am stunned that this is who we are?? How did this happen? I am sadly afraid as well that righting this ship will take a very long time if it is possible at all.
4
One of the traits of a sociopath is sadism. We've seen Trump's endless cruelty and smallness since he came down that escalator. His love of authoritarian leaders and their rampant cruelty and disregard fpr human rights as been obvious since day one. You don't have to be a psychologist to see his narcissistic sociopathy which accounts for his racism, bigotry, sexism and xenophobia. So who will put an end to this malignancy? Certainly not the GOP who are drunk with their power. Finally, it's going to be up to us. If thousands of students can mass and stand up to the NRA, then I keep wondering what we adults are waiting for before we storm the Bastille.
6
I think DJT is the result of years of conservative Republicans promoting fear and hate and disregard for anyone but the wealthy in order to win elections. I think DJT speaks volumes about the true character of Republicans. From Nixon's southern strategy to placing anti-gay marriage amendments on the ballot in every toss-up state during the second election of Bush in order to get out the base to the refusal of Republican governors to expand Medicaid in order to help the poor have healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are gleeful when they think that they are killing healthcare for Americans. They support the NRA and every wealthy lobbyist that knocks on their door. They are very, very cruel when they think that now that the tax bill has passed for the wealthy and national debt is increased they can cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid. They are cruel in separating families of illegal immigrants...a child of seven thousands of miles away from its mother, a child who is in a strange land and doesn't know the language of those around him. Can you imagine? Republicans have taught some Americans that to hate the other is the best way forward. And, Trump personifies that philosophy. The GOP is nothing more than cruel Grifters on Parade.
5
How about Gina Haspel as new CIA director, a dictator in a democracy? Where does this leave Secretary Mattis who has consistently opposed torture? Is he on the way out? The issues presented by the Haspel nomination cannot be overstated if we are seeking to prevent Trump from becoming the self-declared maximum leader.
19
I share Kristof's revulsion of Duterte, and I am not happy that Trump is so friendly to him.
But the US is not doing all that well with human rights. Consider the incarceration rates of major countries:
US 666 per 100,000
Russia 450
Phillipines 140
China 118
France 107
Germany 78
Japan 47
America puts about 2.2 million of its residents in prison or jail. Perhaps double that number is on probation or parole.
The US has an underclass consisting of about 6 million people, who have trouble getting jobs, and live at the very bottom.
Why are they imprisoned? Often because they are mentally ill. Poverty also has something to do with it.
So yes we can see atrocities occurring in other countries. But why don't we do something to clean up our own act?
Yes, other countries put people in jail for expressing dissident opinions. But how accurate is the news which a free society has an obligation to present in an unbiased light? Many people believe that the NY Times represents fake news.
And in one sense they are right. A huge world problem is population growth. The UN estimates that 800 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger.
And many of those hungry live in places like Syria or Bangladesh, where people have been particularly devastated by too much population growth.
So my question is: Why does the NY Times not provide a forum for discussing the ravages of population growth?
Why are we not praising China for its adoption of a one-child policy?
5
This is simply bizarre and has nothing to do with the article or the point. Population growth for sure is a pressing issue and can live side by side with human rights abuse, but you can't conflate them and say population growth is human rights and therefore obviates Mr. Kristoff 's article. And calling people who say the NYT is fake news in any sense right misunderstands the objective requirements (not cultural) for news to be fake - it has to be knowingly falsified, among other criteria, which the NYT does not do. Goodness what a strange comment from a NYT reader.
It's over the top. Nationalism is a strong man arena. Orwell warned us by noting 'Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.'
A major aspect? How far will Donald Trump erode the rule of law?
Even 2 years ago he was openly praising dictators for their ruthlessness.
And wasn't joking when telling police to be more brutal in arrests.
He's entertained dictators at the White House, even the man who grabbed power in a coup + killed over 800 protesters in one day.
You look back at Trump's campaign rallies and recall his wild and angry reactions to protesters. At two separate rallies he claimed he'd "go around the law" if necessary. Most recently he failed to challenge China's President Xi for his recent grab for permanent power. And liked the idea.
Gave Syria's Assad an 'A' for leadership. Said Turkey's brutal dictator Edrogan “has become a friend of mine.' And favors Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, who purged his rivals---who were tortured.
And now Mr. Trump chose pro-torture advocates for top state department and CIA positions.
14
Was Obama any better when in 2015 he praised Ethiopia’s repressive regime for being “democratically elected” while standing next Prime Minister Desalegn? The Ethiopia had been roundly criticized by all major human rights groups for holding sham elections in which Desalegn’s party, in true dictator fashion, claimed to have won 100 percent of the vote. What happened when Obama’s idealistic rhetoric collided with the cold realities of terrorism & dictatorship in the Middle East? In Egypt General Sisi seized power in a military coup, toppling democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi. In 2013, Sisi followed his coup with a brutal crackdown that would have done Saddam Hussein proud. His security forces arrested thousands of people, including much of his political opposition, & in one bloody day that summer, gunned down over 1,000 pro-Morsi protesters who were staging peaceful sit-ins. The massacre was shocking even by the standards of Egypt’s terrible human rights record. Obama said there would be consequences. But in the end he completely capitulated. Like every President before him Obama yielded to the cold realities of geopolitics. He sent Sisi helicopters, missiles,F-16 fighter jets, as well as $260 million in cash. Plus he reinstated America’s $1.3 billion in annual military aid package. Every U.S. president struggles to balance values like democracy & human rights with national security. There will always be a huge conflict between what we want & what we have to do.
4
Please keep writing. The world needs your insight and perspective.
15
The only FACT you need to know is during the past 70 years, the U.S. has killed more innocent foreign civilians than any other Country. Trump just continues the trend, so don't use him to White Wash our record on Human Rights.
6
I have a soft spot for Jimmy Carter because during his presidency I realized caring for human rights is an important factor in diplomacy for the US. Quite often one can see hypocrisy through its veil but I suppose it is a better substitute for plain realpolitik. Now Trump unveiled the true nature of power struggles and pull back the world eighty years.
19
Does anyone doubt for a second if Trump could abolish democracy and the rule of law and declare himself Emperor that he would hesitate to do it?
When he sees what dictators in other countries can do, he responds with envy not disapproval.
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“Please don’t let us be treated as animals … What do we tell him?”
Tell him what Angela Merkel said: “The era in which we could fully rely on others is over to some extent … We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands … But we have to know that we Europeans must fight for our own future and destiny.” Substitute what you will for “Europeans.” And I would tell him to get the word out as much as possible with that, and with his own plight and that of his people.
The United States can no longer be seen as reliable or trustworthy, and Americans should think long and hard about that, while the rest of the world should act on it, in their own best interests.
Trump is the first president in modern history to barely mention the promotion of universal human rights. Trump erased “human rights” from the description of the senior NSC post at the White House that has been responsible for these issues. In its “World Report 2018,” Human Rights Watch states: “The Trump administration made policy changes that have harmed refugees and immigrants, undermined police accountability for abuse, and rolled back women’s rights, including access to important health services.”
With all our science and technology, what are we doing for our neighbors on the planet? We seek to venture out into space, to populate the heavens with ourselves. Where are we off to in such a hurry? Where do we think we are going? Until we learn to take care of each other, we are not going anywhere.
8
Trump made it clear where we are going with a "space force." He wants us in space to wage war there as much as war is fought "on land, sea and air." Easier to destroy the Earth if you can blow it up from orbit I suppose.
1
While there's no denying that Trump is supporting dictators, it's a mistake to say the United States has always supported democracy. That's a comforting lie to tell yourself and ease your conscience.
I'll speak of my own country, Egypt. The United States supported Mubarak's police state for 30 years, and continued to support that decrepit regime in the face of unprecedented popular anger (please google a video of Hillary Clinton adamantly supporting Mubarak's "stable" regime just days before his ouster). Only when critical mass was reached and it appeared there was no hope for Mubarak did the US bet on a different horse.
Not only that, but the US and Egypt cooperated for years on a program of extradition, in which US terrorism suspects were exported to Egypt, there to be tortured freely by a nation that had no qualms doing someone else's dirty business. The architects of this lovely system were Gina Haspel, the new CIA chief, and the late Omar Soliman, head of Egyptian intelligence.
Following the first presidential elections, the US then switched its support to the Muslim Brotherhood, a known terrorist organisation with a history of assassinations, religious fanaticism and acts of terror.
So Trump, who does indeed support our current President, is just continuing a longtime US policy of propping up strongmen who serve their interests, and looking the other way.
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It is most clear, evidently, that the US has been a fraud and fake in promoting (read thrusting) democracy and democratic values on other sovereign nations, all the while sleeping in the bed with dictators of all flavors and religions. Saudi Arabia is a blatant example.
2
Tears in my eyes. Need to get out the vote and get rid of this person in our White House, but first I need to stop crying at what he has done. Thank you Mr. Kristoff.
4
Kristof: "A recent Gallup poll shows that...approval of the United States has collapsed to a record low of 30 percent...more people now approve of China than of the United States."
Have you forgotten, Mr. Kristof, that Donald Trump is making America great again, and that he is, in his own estimation, the apotheosis of American presidents--no president has been so stellar as the nation's current commander-in-chief? AND if you do not believe all his grandiloquent nonsense, you will be reminded in the 2020 race that all we voters will be required to do is to "Keep America Great" by reelecting him, the one that made America great in his first term as POTUS.
3
Trump who benefited from contrived exemptions during the Vietnam conscription will do the following: Trump will embroil the USA in yet another contrived conflict somewhere. Except he likes to do things in a big way. So once he's unilaterally declared war on someone or something he will arrogate supreme power to himself and his office, much as Napoleon III did in the France of 1852. And then become America's actual emperor for life. His ambitions are clear and transparent. And America has already officially ceased to be a free republic as of November 6, 2016.
7
Is Mr. Kristoff serious? One of the principal foundations of US foreign policy is our friendship with authoritarian dictators. Hilary Clinton described former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak and his wife as “friends of my family.” His dictatorial successor, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became our best friend very quickly under Barack Obama. President Obama was also good friends with the absolutist and utterly oppressive Saudi dictatorship. And who can forget our maitre d' for dictators, Henry Kissinger, much beloved of all presidents and 'serious' media types. Our love affair with dictators has been going on since the US became an imperial power. Trump is merely continuing that ignoble tradition.
6
Pinochet & Duarte in El Salvador come to mind. The only difference here is that Trumps actually loves these new guys BECAUSE they are dictators, not because they are better than the communist (or whatever else) alternative was.
1
Mr.Trump's lack of concern for human rights ,his distain for the rule of law, and his threats to the first amendment as he dismisses a free press all brand him as a man who does not believe in American values.One can debate the circumstances that put him in the Oval Office,but every minute he is there is an affront to American decency and democracy.
7
Trump's predilection to strongman rule only emphasizes the gravity of eliminating the Republican majority in Congress that would only too happily allow him rule in the next election cycle and then to vote him out in 2020 before he has time to fully consolidate his position and his tap into wealth as permanent.
3
While I find our fading interest in human rights around the world very disappointing, I can't help but wonder where all of our peer nations are in this? The US drops off the world stage for a year and Canada, Japan, Australia, France Germany, England, etc. can't step into the leadership void? I know they don't have the same power as the US, but come on world, can't the rest of you step up? The US is having a bit of an internal crisis right now.
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The rest of the democracies are stepping up where they can - on climate change, the new TPP, confronting Russia, charging Duterte with crimes against humanity, etc. But the United States' great wealth and power cannot be replaced by any one of her allies. And it's much harder to have a strong response when you have 10 different polities that need to be consulted for decisions. I don't doubt we will keep up the good fight, but America is needed. Restore yourselves, and return to us.
4
Unfortunately, Tim, as a liberal Canadian and expatriate Briton, the rest of the western world aspires to be more like Trumperica than any of us would like to admit. They’re just too afraid to put into motion the same initiatives, allowing America to set a new lowly precedent. It’s bad news all round until populations wake up from their political apathy and start caring. Where are the statesman and women that we badly need?
1
The UK, Germany and Canada are the only Nations capable of filling the void.
2
The president just selected, from 325.000.000 Americans, a new CIA director who oversaw torture, and hid the evidence of it.
We don't know the legality of American activities on various fronts, because the White House doesn't disclose its policy on the rules of war. We have many questionable alliances, and ignore massive human suffering. Many of us are frightened that we might enter into war, in a time of great distrust.
Once, Americans were proud that we protected human rights. The United Nations, and it humanitarian missions were admired.
But we became passive, assuming that our leaders would follow the right path. We keep hearing that it is too complicated to do the right thing, that ethical clarity is ellusive.
We've seen, in domestic issues, that Congress can't unify on a single issue, and that many of our representatives reject the will of the people.
Shouldn't we assume that they are equally ineffective in representing our values on a global scale?
Nobody is magically on the right side.
To exercise compassion on any scale takes effort and strength. If we find genocide, suppression of the press, authoritarianism, mass rape and murder, and famine, to be unacceptable, our leaders need to know it.
Many of us are hoping to soon send a message that reshapes American politics. We can't take anything for granted any more, even that America supports human rights.
We have to take a clear stand, and lead our leaders, in this, and in everything.
12
America would do well to consider what happens to us when,with our standing and power so diminished, we become a Third World country. Who will help us, when we did not help them?
8
Trump voters are what they are. Trump didn't hide his nature during the campaign, and the GOP primary opponents rarely questioned him. They chose him.
At least they should dispense with the flag waving and rhetoric about the glories of democracy and freedom. Points for honesty.
The good news is that Trump isn't popular. We would be a lost country otherwise.
8
I was playing Bob Dylan's song "Gotta Serve Somebody" while reading this: "It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord; but you gotta serve somebody." Quite appropriate music.
3
Re: Bob Dylan - that's why he got the Nobel Prize for Literature. Too many songs to cite that are 'right on' right now.
This is the most depressing column I've read in months, in a sea of depressing news.
I guess I have to thank you, Nicholas, making me fully aware of the full catalog of Trump's "indifference."
And yet, is indifference really the right word?
Trump's attitude goes way beyond that, to active approval, almost longing to have the same tools of oppression at his disposal.
Anyone who thinks Donald J. Trump, if not constrained (so far) by some democratic norms, wouldn't love to jail reporters, torture drug dealers, and quash opposition?
You know, this president says a lot of chilling things in the presence of dictatorial regimes. Forget the love affair with Putin, which is bad enough--it's all these other "lesser" dictators he greets with charm and praise.
Often in the chum of outrageous stuff he whips up every day these mini-events go unnoticed. So I laud you mightily, Nicholas for describing them.
Now let's review what he said about his own administration just two days ago: "I finally am getting closer to the cabinet I want."
Read into that what you want, but I read creeping authoritarianism behind closed doors with cabinet sycophants.
Donald Trump has a cruel streak (firing Andy McCabe two days before retirement?) that frightens me.
Will that cruelty get unleashed more and more as he removes the few restraining forces left in the White House?
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Cruelty aside, DT cozies up to dictators especially when they lead nation where he can build a hotel.
He loves murderous dictators as a sadistic warped child loved and identified with the bad guys in movies.
Dictators don’t mind accepting dirty money. Count the countries whose dictators the Current Occupant has cozied up to and notice which has one of his properties. He’s pined for a Moscow hotel but it seems there is some other deal he has made with Putin for defending every criminal action over the welfare of the United States.
3
Many of us also share that fear...that his cruelty will be unleashed more and more. As the media and others try to normalize his erratic, cruel, and senseless behavior, we need to call it like it is...we have a sociopath in the white house. He doesn't care if he lies, he doesn't care what people think, he appears to have no real connection to others, including his family. The fact that he could carry on with a porn star right after his youngest son was born is evidence enough that norms and values are not part of his vocabulary. If people do not vote him out or if congress does not impeach him, it will only be a matter of time before America becomes unrecognizable. How many people have fled other dictatorships to come to the US only to find that the country that offered kindness and freedom has fallen prey to ultimate power?
1
McCabe was fully vested in his pension and two days would not affect it.
1
Thank you for your energy and dedication to good reporting and writing....and for your mentoring to this wonderful young student. The only way to insure change for the better, is to guide the younger generations on the path toward the good. You are doing that so bravely and well. Also, as an Italian Grandmother, I recommend lots of rest and home made food to sustain your efforts, Mr. Kristoff...blessings
20
Nicholas,
Thank you for asking the question. "What do we tell him?"
Perhaps it is self-evident, but these days it doesn't hurt to say out loud things that go without saying in saner times.
The answer is rooted in a Movement, both deeply underground and brashly visible; absolutely invulnerable as an vast organism, yet composed of utterly vulnerable individuals; more sophisticated than the gross national computing network, yet operating simply out of store fronts and spare bedrooms, as well as research labs and boardrooms.
The Movement operates completely on donations, yet accomplishes more than all world governments combined. It is cross-cultural, multinational, multi-ethnic, ecumenical; it is as diverse as it gets.
Members know it exists. To skeptics, it is inscrutable or invisible. Everyone is invited to join, but the dues are steep: everything you have.
This Movement has no time for soulless politicians, no time to make any nation greater than any other. It's goals are extremely few.
The Movement's answer to the young Rohingya man is, "We are coming."
9
Has Duterte's wife discovered the secret room yet in the presidential palace where Imelda Marcos kept the cache of her 5,000 CHOICE shoes?
6
RL is being cute. American presidents have indeed supported dictators for all sorts of reasons, but not because they wanted to be dictators themselves, with some GOP exceptions.
RL knows this, but chooses to sneer and deflect, like all Trump apologists.
5
So cynical, so proud.
3
I think Imelda took all 5000 shoes when she fled.
But thanks for the laugh!
2
"Please. Don’t break our trust.”
It will be broken.
The suffering of the Rohingya mean nothing to Trump. I doubt he's even aware of their existence because they have nothing to give him.
Trump's only motivation in any action is how it can further his interests - his business, his brand or his political career.
Human rights mean nothing to someone who cares only about himself. His lack of empathy and kindness are traits he shares with the autocrats he so admires.
74
Radioactive is the perfect word for Trump, each day he poisons the airwaves with his endless and mindless toxic meanderings. I watched a video recently when Trump was interviewed, the reporter asked him about a statement which he made and if he stood by it, and without missing a beat, Trump said 'I don’t stand by anything'.
Donald's fascination with powerful authoritarians around the world, his infatuation with them, is that he dreams like the Chinese president to do away with our Constitutional protections against having a life time leader, only half joking that he says that he hopes this eventually comes to the U.S. He dreams of being emperor of the world with limitless power.
This man is not and has never been my president, not the president for so many of us, he tarnishes the office of the presidency, and has no idea about what he is doing or the damage he is inflicting on our nation’s reputation and to our planet.
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To Tim B
Meanwhile you wring your hands and complain. Other countries would have launched daily protests, not fearing confrontation with the goon squads Trump would send to attack unarmed civilians in the name of maintaining 'public order'.
3
Trump is mentally ill; an incurable narcissist...and The New York Times
Editors should re publish the Letter to The Editors of the NYT dated February
13, 2017 from Harvard Professor of Psychiatry Lance M. Dodes M.D...
describing the psychological disorder of extreme narcissism of Donald J. Trump
which Dr. Dodes states will be ultimately dangerous to the US and the global
order.
Please Editors re publish Dr. Dodes Letter so that the truth about Trump's
illness is made public....and then state that Amendment 25: Section 4 of
the US Constitution is the way that an immediate dismissal of Trump could
occur...Please re publish this Letter...ASAP
4
Thank you Carol for making me and others on the Times aware of this letter, it is very well written and addresses Trump's mental condition and potential consequences for our nation in having such a 'leader'.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/opinion/mental-health-professionals-w...
1
Six million Jews and two million others were slaughtered when the world (including the U.S.) decided not to intrude on the diabolical impulses of an Austrian paper-hanger. Once Der Fuhrer was disposed of (for other reasons) the expression "never again!" gained currency- and yet it's happened again... and again. In Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Darfur, Iraq, Syria and now Myanmar, and for the most part the world continues not to care. It's wrong to suggest that The Donald's indifference is unpresidented (pun intentional) but it's certainly true that none of his predecessors has gone so far as to publicly embrace and laud the practitioners of genocide. Well, at least the Jews appear to be safe this time. Trump has had some choice words for Jewish Americans, as he's had for every other religious and/or racial demographic, but he loves Jewish votes and Jewish campaign dollars, which means that he'll appoint Zionists to represent him everywhere in the Middle East and will take pains to avoid letting the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors feel they've been abandoned by the U.S. once again. Too bad that those same sympathies don't extend to the victims of contemporary acts of genocide. So pass the caviar, Vlad, and best regards to Ramzan in Grozny.
87
Tens of thousands of Christians and Yezidis were slaughtered, enslaved, or ethnically cleansed when Obama prematurely withdrew from Iraq, and Obama's response was to call the Islamic State the junior varsity. I am much more concerned with the results of a president's foreign policy than his rhetoric. Obama's policies were disastrous for human rights in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, China, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Russia, Philippines. It is hard to imagine Trump producing worse results, despite his ignorance and buffoonery. I am not saying that rhetoric cannot be powerful; it can be, but not with Trump. Nothing he says really matters. And frankly, no president's rhetoric has been particularly powerful since Ronald Reagan called on Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." We had some glimpses of powerful rhetoric from George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9/11, but he never achieved greatness--he was no Reagan.
3
@Charles: Obama took action to rescue a great many Yazidis at Sinjar Mountain when they were threatened by ISIS. He did not withdraw from Iraq "prematurely" but rather within the time frame agreed to by the government in Baghdad. Had we stayed on past that date we would have been an occupying army and would have ended up battling the country's Shiite militias. You can't impose human rights on countries with despotic governments. You can, however, take action to end genocide.
5
Stu, sadly, what makes the "Jewish" narrative inauthentic is because they are being perceived as perpetrators themselves, via Israel. The "never again" mantra will have any meaning at all, if and when it is truly and universally embraced by all Jews everywhere.
2
Donald has a strong record on human rights....white spite rights, 0.1% human rights, radical religious rights, droit du seigneur, and the right to lie for a living.
Everyone else can drop dead while gorging on a piece of beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous, delicious coal as far as our Three-Card-Monte-In-Chief is concerned.
Now let's get this wannabe tin-pot dictator a military parade and an orange jumpsuit to go.
268
Human Rights violations? Mr. Kristof, you cannot solve it, it cannot be solved. They’ve always been, and they will continue until the end of time. Or the end of us.
3
Not saying against Human Rights abuses, condons Human Rights abuses. Embraceing leaders that subvert Democratic princeples, condons that subversion. We may never be able to prevent these abuses by other leaders but that doesn't mean we should condon and support those that commit them.
1
That doesn't mean we don't try to help;to do nothing is inhumane;everyone can raise their voice, everyone can contribute something;doing something is better than doing nothing "it's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness". The high school kids in Parkland get it. So should we.
Perfection is impossible, but that is a lousy excuse for not trying!
I would like to tell the young Rohingya man that Americans will unite, vote Trump and his enablers out in 2018 and 2020, and that the U. S will make human rights a priority. However, when Trump starts talking about killing drug dealers in our country and entertaining thoughts of getting rid of presidential term limits, I worry that he will declare martial law, suspend voting, and start arresting those who openly oppose him.
98
There are 320 million of us. There is one of him.
There is also the possibility that Trump will be reelected heaven forbid.
The US is in a “March of Folly” and Trump is leading it. When governments fail to care about the fate of people, they fail.
33
There's a special place in history for US presidents who don't stand for human rights.
39
There needs to be a special place in jail.
Dictators, tyrants and bigots use Donald Trump to advance their national values and interests. And Trump loves being used by them. As long as they don't expose the contents of Trump's personal and family income tax returns and business records while Trump vacations for a third of the year on his properties.
America's most dangerous, diabolical and duplicitous 'allies' are Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel and King Salman's Saudi Arabia who put America second. Trump is regularly toyed with by both men's flattery.
57
Trump is abusive. You have succinctly stated the tolerance Trump has for dictators who commit horrific acts of injustice against their people. The abuse against women has been heard on tape, attested to by many women and found he enjoyed watching young women change their clothes in competitions. His abuse against Mother Earth screams as oil - such a dirty fuel - will come from the tar sands to East coast oceans to the Arctic. His abuse of school children and the general public as a lackey of the NRA who refuses to act against our gun violence. His abuse of our intelligence community and news media as he belittles and assails them. His abuse of our national elections and indeed security as he speaks well of Putin always. The GOP must reconsider their loyalty to Trump.
97
The real problem is the GOP; they're aiding and abetting this vile creature we now call President and that tells the world where the US stands.
Trump was heard BRAGGING on a secretly recorded tape -- 13 years ago!!!! -- in a private conversation. He was trash talking, to impress a younger man. He was not a politician, but a private citizen back then.
Trash talking is not an admission of a crime. Nobody was named. No woman have come forward with credible cases to file charges against Mr. Trump. Nobody called police AT THE TIME and the only "allegations" are decades old and most of them simply not believable. Even if not criminal charges, nobody filed a civil case against Trump, a famous multi-millionaire celebrity???
Mr. Wayne, I have worked in both theatre and the fashion industry, and seen beautiful young woman change their clothing in front of stage crews, photographers and others. It's part of being in that kind of field. I assure you this is common in such industries. The women are powerful & beautiful and they enjoy the attention because if not....they'd change in the bathroom or under a robe. (I suspect most if not all heterosexual men would ENJOY seeing female nudity.)
It was not only NOT a crime, there were dozens of beauty pageant contestants in Trump's case, and not one of them -- nor their parents -- filed police charges or filed a civil case for "peeping" or whatever you consider this to be.
In 8 years of Obama, I did not see that our nation ran on solar power or green energy, or that there were no fossil fuels. In fact, that 8 years showed a HUGE increase in FRACKING!!!
1
Sometimes the sanest reaction to an insane situation....is Insanity.
We, the People, are under the Direction and apparent Control of a
Diagnosable "President". We have question his amazing
4
With a nod to Willie Nelson, updated for our times:
Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be con-men,
they’ll only end up bein’ tin pot dictators,
and try to get rid of the law-men.
Don’t let them be bullies of playground or school,
don’t let them be thinkin’ they make their own rules.
Don’t teach them to hate or pre-var-icate,
or think that behavior is cool.
Don’t fail to be guidin’ them to be law-abidin’
Mommas don’t you be raisin’ no fools.
No disrespectin’ of Others, or Women or Mommas,
teach them to behave just like the Obamas.
Teach them good character, truth tellin, and honor,
or surely some money they’ll be tryin’ to launder.
Don’t let them fall into the wrong company,
one really bad apple can ruin a whole country.
So mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be con-men,
they’ll only end up to be tin pot dictators,
and try to get rid of the law-men.
65
Fantastic. If you need a singer, let me know. I know many pros.
1
"What do we tell them?"
Tell them we now have a liar-in-chief sitting in the Oval Office and that the guy admires what the Burmese soldiers are doing so there is nothing America can or will do. Tell them this is a world where brutal, murderous, dictators feel free to practice their trade: murder.
24
Reason #387 why Trump should leave office.
39
it's not just Trump, but all past Presidents since Teddy Roosevelt who loved dictators. I'm surprised you just chose Trump to rant about and not the real culprits: Corporate America.
20
I'm not surprised. He works for them.
Mr. Andrews: since the 2016 primaries, when Trump unexpectedly won out over the presumed GOP candidate -- the oafish Jeb(!) Bush -- the lefty media and especially the NYT (the official mouthpiece of the Democratic Party) has concentrated their horrified efforts on destroying Donald Trump. Since the summer of 2016, they have literally done nothing but attack him 5 times daily in articles, editorials, guest columns and the like.
They predicated his landslide loss to their desired candidate Hillary (*after destroying her opponent Bernie Sanders for her).....his humiliation, the destruction of the entire GOP.....and when on the evening of November 8th 2016, they were utterly repudiated and made to look like fools....when their failure to predict ANYTHING correctly, their biases and neglect of half of the voting public upended the "paradigm" and kicked lefty liberalism to the curb....the left and the NYT has been on an absolute BINGE of hysteria, Trump bashing, predictions of doom and gloom (*none of which has actually happened). The stock market did not crash. The sun still comes up in the morning. There is no martial law and elections have not been canceled.
In short, they were wrong on everything and they are still furiously, insanely angry and taking it out on Trump.
1
Reputations are built over a lifetime, but can be ruined in a moment. Donald Trump is quickly destroying the reputation of our entire country, painstakingly built over many decades.
Yes we are far from perfect. But even our flawed striving toward increasing human rights in the work had a huge effect. Electing the worst our country has to offer has been a disaster in this respect.
The damage this man is doing to the U.S. and the world in such a short time is just unimaginable.
341
If the US is bad for the world then damaging it is good for the world.
it was imaginable 2 years ago. people like david brooks sat and twiddled their thumbs while rome burned.
1
We can only hope and pray that the pendulum will swing the other way when it comes to who we elect to represent our country. We have never been Great, but we have never been this despicable.
2
If Haspel is confirmed as head of CIA, how long before Trump orders his first torture/murder? So far, that's all that has distinguished him from the worst of the worst.
53
@Mike Carpenter: I have renovated several apartments/houses over my life. I absolutely LOVE the demolition phase, the tearing down, the ripping apart, it's liberating! And then comes the painstaking rebuilding, all the choices that have to be made, all the comparisons of products and colors and work people to help and how to pay for it and on and on. It takes time and deliberation to build. It takes nothing to destroy.
Trump is destroying our country even faster than I feared. I actually do wonder if we'll get to midterms intact and ready to vote without a war or some 'crisis' that will wag Trump because he will not allow himself to be humiliated by losing his majority - maybe in both chambers.
He's damaged our country so very badly in one year. Just imagine what he could do if he was dictator for life.
3
Yes, these are frightening times indeed. It is just so sad that the "Make America Great Again" movement means relinquishing America's international role as a leader in at least advocating for, if not always defending, human rights.
13
The premise of MAGA is that the people of the wealthiest nation in history deserve much more, that whites are a beleaguered ethnic group, and that it is immoral for our billionaires to be tethered to taxation.
How is it possible that we can help anyone else when we are so unfortunate?
Imagine if Trump had been at the helm of this country in the 1950s or 1960s, praising the likes of Uncle Joe Stalin or that "little red book" guy, Chairman Mao. The only thing The Donald has in common with Democracy is that they both begin with the letter D.
48
His champions childe us for not giving him a chance.
And he has the backing of much of the evangelical community.
16
I doubt that Trump really what he is saying, but finds it easier being tough and supporting people like-wise. All those people about whom you speak eventually will fall, and he will take another side or forget about them all.
Trump will be one of them.
He has a dictator soul. This is the first time in my US life that I get memory flashes of the Junta years in Argentina.
112
This is nonsense. The difference between Trump and former Presidents is purely cosmetic. The US always supported friendly dictators as Obama helped put them in in Guatemala and El Salvador. But former Presidents saw the benefit of lying about their policy.
9
You do not understand the complexity of international relations. I have always abhorred the hypocrisy of my country, and applauded when we managed to match our actions to our rhetoric. But real politic is real. Nevertheless, to simply dismiss as nonsense our history of trying to stand for something, and to abandon even a semblance of decency has far reaching consequences.
1
It's delusional or childishly cynical to say there is no substantial difference between Trump and previous presidents.
1
Smooth talkers like Obama (or Bill Clinton before him) talked the right talk and said all the Politically Correct things in a nice, somber tone of voice.
Then they did nothing, or even did things to make situations WORSE.
Barack Obama did nothing to save the Rohingha people. To imply such a partisan lie; the US has had many failings in this arena (the slaughter in Rwanda as we sat by) but the REASON is that in general, we fear going in to other nations and interfering in internal conflicts.....because once in, WE GET BLAMED and it ends up, you can never leave because the conflict is never resolved.
1
We knew things were going to get mean when Trump and the GOP took control.
38
" Trump seems simply indifferent ". Nick, Trump is simply Simple. He is totally and completely self absorbed, nothing in the entire universe is important, unless it directly affects Him, or his " business ". And by business, I mean Money. I've said this here, repeatedly, this entire campaign was nothing but a money making opportunity for his Brand, and the ultimate prize for his monstrous ego. He would be unable to manage a
McDonalds or a convenience store, in actual practice. Briefly, the epitome of lifelong privilege and ersatz celebrity. The glib, prepackaged air of a true, lifelong Conman. So, of course he's drawn to Dictators, that's who he admires, that's absolutely what he aspires to BE. No constraints, no restraints, no regrets. Like a huge hog, feeding from the Golden trough.
November, people. Please get ready.
198
I look forward to the day when Trump is gone and we can start to Make America Great Again in things that really count
55
Hi Nicholas, what would you say are the reasons why Trump is commenting on the Venezuelan situation?. I mean, I agree that he doesn´t care about democracy, and ignores the cases you mention in your article. But then, why is so vehement with supposedly defending Venezuela´s democracy?.
3
Even a broken clock is right twice a day
8
Actually, an easy question to answer, “why is so vehement with supposedly defending Venezuela’s democracy?” Venezuelan oil and an untapped market for another Trump resort condotel.
1
Trump's not interested in Venezuelan democracy, he's interested in money. Don, Jr. and his good friend, Gentry Beach, said they were "just friends". We've just learned they are long-standing business partners, a recent venture involving access to Venezuelan oil.
"Beach last year met with top National Security Council officials to push a plan that would curb U.S. sanctions in Venezuela and open up business for U.S. companies in the oil-rich nation."
http://www.wyff4.com/article/apnewsbreak-trump-jr-partners-with-donor-wh...
All true Mr. Kristoff but the seed of Trump's callous indifference to basic human rights has to be addressed. Namely, corporate amorality. When other countries are viewed solely as markets, anything will be forgiven. The prime example, as you mention, was Tiananmen Square.
31
A very good point, world citizens need to support market regulation.
2
"What do we tell him?"
We show and tell him that our new head of the conflicted Central Intelligence Agency is a woman who oversaw the torture (and possibly deaths) of human beings, excused because the United States government approved of and "legalized" torture. Promoting human misery is our business.
We will tell him that Presidents of the United States and those we elect to represent the American people have little interest in the value of human life except perhaps their own as they give hypocritical lip service to honoring the dead -- most of whom seem to have died in vain.
Or, perhaps, we won't tell him anything because no words can adequately express the national disinterest in human life, whether at home or abroad.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
114
Yes, and thank you for breaking a stereotype of Montana residents!
Years ago this woman would have stand trial at Nurenberg , now she heads the CIA unbelieveble
2
In the past, Montana and the nation were honored by the service of Mike Mansfield. Times change, and they may again be a changin'.
Perhaps if human animals would refrain from treating non-human animals in such a brutal fashion there would be a foundation from which to move forward on "human rights" - meaning, of course, that there are no rights without power.
6
What Trump calls "strong," most people call "ruthless."
What Trump calls "weak," most people call "humane."
What Trump considers acceptable must never be taken as American values.
We can't remake the world democratic, but we can retake our democracy.
83
What do we tell Rohingya? As long as Trump is in charge, nothing will be done to help them. Even if everyone else cares, it will not make a difference because Trump has no capacity for empathy for the downtrodden.
13
We can email Nikki Haley at the UN and tell her to stand up for the Rohingya. And we can send money to the UN designated to be used only to help the Rohingya. We need to take a lesson from the courageous students from Parkland.
3
Yes, we can try to help individually. But our government bill not stand up for the Rohingya. Haley, my former governor, has not shown an inclination to stand up for Americans, let alone others.
Remind me again what Barack Obama did in EIGHT YEARS to help the Rohingya?
1
Trump has also repeatedly praised China for executing drug traffickers. For some reason he failed to note that they have also executed corrupt politicians and businessmen...
19
Consider Trump's history. Did he ever successfully manage a team or report to a Board of Directors? No. He gave orders and reported to no one. Did anyone ever come out of the Trump Organization to lead a large company or become a nationally admired business expert? No. They burned out or were fired. Sound familiar to what we are seeing today?
He dictated in his business dealings and is now feeling comfortable enough to do that in the executive branch. In other words, he is just getting warmed up.
56
Hence around the world the week and vulnerable are reliant on the democratic system of the U.S.A. to limit the damage that Trump is now inflicting.
Human Rights seem to be a low priority for at least China and Russia, who both also have seats and vetoes in the United Nation's Security Council.
" ... across 134 countries, approval of the United States has collapsed to a record low of 30 percent."
That's almost the same as Trump's approval rating in U.S. As much as I hope that rest of the world knows that the American people aren't evil or synonymous with their government, I know that, for many, that face is all they will see.
154
I’m an Australian and follow the Trump phenomenon with interest largely due to the impact his behaviour and rhetoric and the Republican Party’s inward and self serving agenda impose on all of the world. From my experience most of my friends are appalled at what Trump stands for and his impact on how America and Americans are perceived globally, however it was with some relief that when I visted the US last year almost all of the locals I spoke to were eager to let me know how embarrassed and ashamed they were to have him as their leader. Hopefully, this phase will pass sooner rather than later although I still find it frightning that he still has a percentage of supporters who refuse be swayed as is uncomfortably evident in his rallies where he is in his true element with his real self glaringly on display.
2
We have never been perfect but we were at least counted as "one of the good guys". I feel such despair about what this man is doing to our country and the rest of the world. "Despair" doesn't come close to how I feel when I consider all the Americans who voted for him -- and still support him. I feel I've always been a good problem solver, but I don't know how to even approach a problem I just can't understand..
175
We stopped being one of the good guys when we invaded Iraq. It was stupid, wrong, based on lies--and our leaders thought we'd be received with flowers and gratitude for our bombing. That was the first time I thought (and resented) that I, a Cleveland housewife, knew more than all the president's men.
4
Stay resolute and ALWAYS please use your vote.
3
For Donald Trump, human rights are irrelevant. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Trump's public admiration for strongman leaders and breaking of “taboos against racism and xenophobia” have encouraged oppression around the world.
111
Perhaps in a paradoxical way, Donald Trump is the wrong guy at the right time.
Its hard to find any big successes in the human rights condemnations by the US under prior administrations or by the UN. Even sanctions appear to have limited effect.
But it has been demonstrated that real grassroots activism within countries can turn them upside down, driven by social media. Trump's endorsement of autocrats will be fuel on the fire.
The Chinese are terrified of this. The end of term limits for Xi Jinping was actually a smaller change than advertised because the Chinese government is already a rubber stamp, single party sham. But a slow down in the Chinese economy will create social unrest.
20
Trump loves rulers dictatorial,
Views Xi and Putin as adorial,
His five time deferments
Show Donald's preferments
Did Putin give him a tutorial?
130
Of this let's not make a dispute
To your query here is the rebuke.
From Gog and Magog,
Trumps didn’t need to ask,
As true born demagogs
They wear the same mask.
Alas ! Alas !…
Authority is their rule
Perpetuity our ferule.