A14 eZ re the washington post.monday, july 27 , 2020
still, by the numbers, Trump
had an immediate and negative
impact. In a Gallup survey of
impressions of world leadership
after the first year of Trump’s
presidency, t he rating of U.s. lead-
ership plummeted by 20 points —
lower than Bush’s worst rating.
The following year, approval of
U.s. leadership remained similar-
ly low, and disapproval was high-
er than for the leadership in
Germany, China and russia. “In
this climate, China’s leadership
has gained a larger advantage in
the ‘great power competition,’
and the other player, russia, is
now on a more even level with the
U.s.,” the Gallup report said.
The Pew research Center is-
sued a report in January on inter-
national attitudes toward the
United states and found 64 per-
cent of people across 32 countries
saying they had no confidence in
Trump as the U.s. leader, though
impressions of the United states
as a whole remained positive.
Trump’s ratings were slightly bet-
ter than the previous year. Pew
analysts said that was because of
increased support from those on
the right in other nations, includ-
ing those who support right-wing
populist parties in their coun-
tries.
The same phenomenon
showed up in an annual Gallup
survey of satisfaction among
Americans with the U.s. position
in the world. The 2020 survey
found that category of satisfac-
tion at 5 3 percent, up from 32 per-
cent in early 2017. The difference
was attributable in large part to a
big shift among republicans.
Coming out of the obama years in
2017, 47 percent of republicans
said they were satisfied with the
U.s. position in the world. After
three years under Trump, that
had risen to 85 percent.
A report issued last month by
the Bertelsmann foundation, the
German marshall fund of the
United states and Institut mon-
taigne found that, in Germany,
france and the United states,
America was seen as the world’s
most influential country both be-
fore and during the pandemic,
but the report noted that “China’s
influence has risen significantly.”
A recent poll asked Germans
how their perceptions of other
countries have changed as a re-
sult of the pandemic. more than 7
in 10 said their impressions of the
United states have deteriorated.
only 5 percent said their impres-
sions had improved. China,
sEE reckoning oN Atially a real setback.”By the numbers, a loss of
confidence in U.S. leadership
This is not the first time the
world has held America in low
esteem. The U.s. invasion of Iraq
cost the country dearly, in lives
and in prestige. George W. Bush
left office highly unpopular, espe-
cially in Europe. Earlier, Ameri-
ca’s image was tarnished by the
red-baiting of then-sen. Joseph
mcCarthy (r-Wis.) in the 1950 s,
the bloody civil rights clashes of
the 1960s, the Watergate scandal
that led to Nixon’s resignation in
the 1970 s and the Iran hostage
crisis later that decade.tion and has long been a propo-
nent of a nationalistic foreign
policy. “The axis and the allies
here are very well defined.”
But despite acknowledgments
that Trump has at times raised
legitimate questions, overall as-
sessments of the effect of his
approach to the world are harsh
— with fears that the pandemic
will do further damage over time.
“It hurts our brand. It h urts the
status of our institutions. It’s go-
ing to weaken our economy and
our economic power and soft
power as a consequence,” said
stephen J. Hadley, who was a
national security adviser to Presi-
dent George W. Bush. “It’s poten-uncomfortable questions and
challenging old assumptions. He
has forced other nations to take a
tougher approach to China and to
reappraise the costs of globaliza-
tion. His badgering of NATo al-
lies to spend more on defense,
however irritating to the allies,
produced results that had eluded
previous presidents.
“If you look at t he world, it is an
alliance of liberty coming around
to face the existential threat of
our time, which is the totalitarian
dictatorship of the Chinese Com-
munist Party,” said stephen K.
Bannon, who served as chief
strategist in the White House
early in the Trump administra-“I think the U.s. is seen from
my perspective as being involved
in its own internal reckoning —
like the rest of the world doesn’t
really exist,” said robin Niblett,
director and chief executive of
Chatham House, a think tank in
London. “It’s America trying to
battle with historical and con-
temporary demons that as much
as anything are a result of its own
internal contradictions and ten-
sions and strengths and weak-
nesses. And it’s not all bad. I’m
just saying it is like really seeing
somebody’s psychological flaws
exposed at a moment of stress.”
Trump gets credit, even if
sometimes grudgingly, for askingstates not as a leader in dealing
with the coronavirus but as the
country with the highest number
of coronavirus infections and
covid- 19 deaths, and with the
disease far from under control.
European nations have respond-
ed with the unprecedented step
of blocking Americans from en-
tering their countries.
from abroad, the United states
is seen as having lost confidence
in itself as it grapples not only
with the pandemic but also with
long-standing political divisions
and a racial reckoning over the
treatment of black Americans.
The perceived loss of confidence
among Americans in turn has led
others to question the United
states’ appetite or capacity for a
collaborative leadership role at a
time when the health and eco-
nomic crises call out for commit-
ted global cooperation.
Before the pandemic, the presi-
dent took a number of steps that
signaled a retreat from collective
involvement abroad, pulling out
of the Paris climate agreement,
the Iran nuclear deal and the
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade
pact. He raised doubts about the
U.s. commitment to NATo. After
a long-running quarrel with Ger-
man Chancellor Angela merkel,
he has called for the withdrawal
of more than a quarter of the
34,500 U.s. troops stationed in
Germany.
since the pandemic struck,
Trump has continued to pull
back. When other nations’ lead-
ers gathered by video to rally
behind and provide funding for
the development of a coronavirus
vaccine, the United states
skipped the meeting. When many
world leaders participated in a
World Health organization as-
sembly on the pandemic, the
president was absent. Trump’s
anger with China over the virus
ultimately prompted him to with-
draw the United states from the
WHo.
“People are stunned about the
effect of incapable leadership, or
of polarizing leadership, of not
being able to unify and get the
forces aligned so you can address
the problem [of the coronavi-
rus],” said Thomas Kleine-Brock-
hoff, a vice president of the Ger-
man marshall fund and director
of its Berlin office. “A nd that, of
course, results in a nosedive in
how you view [the United states].
What you’re seeing is a collapse of
soft power of America.”
reckoning from A
Under Trump, a nation in crisis
retreats from collaborative leadership
Jack taylor/getty Images
Protesters in London rally against a proposed state visit by President Trump to Britain in 201 7. From abroad, the United States is seen as
having lost confidence in itself as it grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, long-standing political divisions and a racial reckoning.SCALLOPED
EDGE
ARCHITECTURAL
SHINGLES
ASPHALT
SHAKES
SYNTHETIC
SLATE
DESIGNER
PREMIUM
LUXURY
NEW! STANDING
SEAM METAL ROOFINGNEW! METAL SHAKES
NEW! METAL SLATE
NEW! METAL TILE
- Best warranties in the industry
- High performance asphalt
shingles, metal & flat roofing- Awarded Triple Crown Champion,
Governor’s Award and SELECTShingleMaster CertificationFREE Estimates!Financing Available! Call Now!LIMITED TIME ONLYFREE GUTTERS ORGUTTER GUARDS!*$
1,000 Value87 7-445-LONG | LongRoofing.comLicensed, Bonded, Insured. MHIC 51346, VA 2705048183A, DC 67006785
* with Long Roofing purchase. Expires 8/25/20. Valid initial visit only. Min. purchase required.
Cannot be combined with other offers. Financing subject to credit approval.SSUMMERPECIALAV
INGS!UMMERPECIALAV
INGS!WINDOWS g DOORS g^ BATHS