Friday, October 21, 2016

we have seen the future

Many members of the U.S. national security community -- officials and former officials, academics, think tank experts -- rallied in opposition to Donald Trump as a possible president. They viewed him as dangerously unqualified. His campaign, of course, has confirmed many of their fears.

They worried about a president who didn't know or understand much about foreign policy, who disrespected the "generals" and others with expertise, who acted without thinking, who encouraged violence, who cared little for the security framework of alliances America has carefully tended for almost 3/4 of a century.

I think we're already seeing how much damage a similar kind of president can do -- in the Philippines, where a demagogic politician won the popular vote and now is shredding the U.S. alliance while inflicting illegal violence of many of his own people. I don't understand why President Duterte is doing what he is doing, thought the Wall Street Journal has interesting biographical background on him. But he sure seems to be practicing Trumpism in ways that should chill us all.