U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York, Sept. 21.
Photo:
BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
Tokyo
I will shortly return home from a two-week trade mission to Japan and South Korea, where I gave the keynote address at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. I also met with South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and other government leaders, and negotiated partnerships with multinational business leaders eager to invest in Maryland.
Everywhere I heard a common refrain: While our allies still believe in America, they worry whether America is too divided to believe in itself.
It’s easy to forget that the world is always watching us. Perceptions of the U.S. are often shaped by how our leaders behave. Lately that behavior hasn’t been good. In a prime-time speech this month, President Biden attacked millions of Americans who supported his predecessor as a threat to democracy. Former President Trump responded by attacking Mr. Biden as an “enemy of the state.”
It’s no coincidence that China and Russia have entire propaganda operations devoted to amplifying such strain and disunity. Regardless of who you think is to blame for our divisions, we have to recognize that our enemies are exploiting them to weaken us. Any American ally or adversary watching this circus might be tempted to believe that authoritarianism can offer strength and stability that our democracy lacks.
Developments around the world prove the opposite. In Ukraine, the Russians are in retreat. President
Volodymyr Zelensky
and his brave countrymen have demonstrated how powerful freedom’s hold is on the human heart. Meanwhile, China continues to sputter amid its zero-Covid policy. Only a few years ago it seemed a foregone conclusion that China would eventually overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. Now, some predict…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RSSOpinion…