{UAH} America’s battered moral standing
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Donald Trump is handing the world's autocrats a propaganda coup
America's state department last weekend called on "freedom-loving people" to hold China to account for its vow to impose a national security law on Hong Kong. A Chinese official instantly tweeted: "I can't breathe". The riposte was no less stinging for its sarcasm. Images of US law enforcement breaking up demonstrations after the suffocation of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, already harm US moral standing. The fact that President Donald Trump describes the mostly peaceful protesters as "thugs", "killers", and "domestic terrorists" makes the damage incalculably greater.
Previous presidents have been accused of hypocrisy after similar tragedies. The world is well-versed in US racial inequities. Yet never before has a US president demonised in blanket terms those protesting against injustice. Hypocrisy may be the compliment vice pays to virtue. Mr Trump makes no pretence of siding with virtue.
There are equally troubling grounds to fear that he has no regard for constitutional democracy. During periods of far more violent turmoil, such as the 1960s, US presidents did not call on the military to restore order. Except in the gravest of circumstances, and at the invitation of governors, such a move would be against US law and democratic practice.
Mr Trump, however, has repeatedly called for the army to militarise America's streets. To their credit, senior Pentagon officials, including Mark Esper, defence secretary, and Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, this week pushed back against Mr Trump's call for the army to "dominate" America's cities. Retired generals, including Jim Mattis, Mr Trump's former defence secretary, said the duty of a US president was to unite. Mr Trump's only aim was to sow further divisions, he said.
Such pushbacks are critical. Yet America's reputational loss cannot be undone by retired generals. The chorus of global condemnation has run from sincere to opportunistic. The EU called on the US to respect human rights. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe — a body better known for shining the light on Russian abuses — urged US police to "show restraint" towards journalists, who have been targeted with alarming frequency. Countries that are normally the object of US censure, such as Iran, Russia and China, spared no detail in depicting America's turmoil. Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, tweeted #BlackLivesMatter, prompting an exchange of taunts with Mike Pompeo, his US counterpart. China cannot disguise its pleasure at the propaganda windfall.
What can be done to repair US standing? The greatest leverage lies with elected Republicans, especially in the Senate. One or two, such as Mitt Romney, have rejected Mr Trump's dystopian words. Others, such as Tom Cotton, are goading him to send paratroopers into US cities. Most turned a blind eye. An astonishing number claimed not to have seen Monday's footage of US national guard clearing the square in front of the White House with rubber bullets, smoke canisters and pepper balls. The world beyond Capitol Hill gasped at the sight of a US president holding up a bible amid the detritus of a brutally cleared protest.
Republicans have always cherished the US role as a beacon for democracy. Through their complicity, they are robbing America of global influence. On Chinese social media, the US is known as the "double standards country". Mr Trump has broadcast to the world that martial law is a legitimate option and the media are enemies of the people. If China were to send its tanks into Hong Kong, would the world listen to what the US Senate thought?
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