Must-Read: Larry Summers: Donald Trump’s alarming G20 performance
Must-Read: Larry Summers is spending his time describing the elephant in the room:
Larry Summers: Donald Trump’s alarming G20 performance: “the content of the [of the G-20] communiqué [is] a confirmation of the breakdown of international order that many have feared since the election of Donald Trump… https://www.ft.com/content/ea2849ea-6335-11e7-8814-0ac7eb84e5f1
…His conduct is the greatest threat to American security….The idea that the US should lead in the development of the international community has been a central tenet of American foreign policy since the end of the second world war. Since his election, Mr Trump’s rhetoric has rejected the concept of global community, and expressed a strong belief that the US should seek better deals rather than stronger institutions and systems…. It has become clear that Mr Trump’s actions will match his rhetoric….
What many people fear but few are saying is that in the difficult times that come during any term the president’s character will cause him to act dangerously…. Power… always reveals…. Trump has yet to experience a period of economic difficulty or any form of international economic crisis. He has not yet had to make a major military decision in time of crisis. Yet his behaviour has been erratic…. It is rare for heads of government to step away from the table during major summits…. There is no precedent for a head of government’s adult child taking a seat, as was the case when Ivanka Trump took her father’s place at the G20. There is no precedent for good reason. It is insulting to the others present and sends a signal of disempowerment regarding senior officials. Mr Trump’s pre-summit speech in Poland expressed the sentiment that the primary question of our time was the will of the west to survive…. Manichean rhetoric from presidents is rarely wise. George W Bush’s reference to an “axis of evil” is generally regarded as a serious error….
A corporate chief executive whose public behaviour was as erratic as that of Mr Trump would already have been replaced…. The president’s cabinet and his political allies in Congress should never forget that the oaths they swore were not to the defence of the president but to the defence of the constitution.
Larry Summers: Our President is the greatest threat to our security: “The only really important issue was whether the United States would at last be induced to signal [for the first time since November 8, 2016] a commitment to the idea of a global community or would it double down on atavism… http://larrysummers.com/2017/07/08/our-president-is-the-greatest-threat-to-our-security/
…As I write Saturday morning (US time), things seem to be running below my already low expectations. On the philosophical and policy questions regarding United States’ willingness to continue supporting a rules based international system, there is no progress to observe. On the question of the character of the US President–the most powerful person in the world–there is new and disturbing evidence. President Trump has deemed the survival of the West to be the issue of our time. In context, his statement cannot be read as anything other a call for a dangerous clash of civilizations. It will surely raise doubts in Asia, the Middle East and Africa about the reliability of American support…. At a time when the elephant in the room is his own mental stability, the President has confirmed doubts by bizarrely tweeting about how leaders are preoccupied by Hillary’s campaign manager. It is the tragedy of this moment that our President, and how he causes himself to be perceived, is the greatest threat to our security.