Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Opinion
    Home / Opinion / Editorials

    Trump's 'clarity' about adversaries shows US is still stuck in the past

    chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-01-31 20:26
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    In what was part elegy of remembrance for days now past and part call for action so they might be relived, US President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday.

    Characterized by his usual chronic ballyhooing, it was notable not because it offered anything new, but because of its affirmation that for his administration everything can be boiled down to the simple binary choice of you are either with us or against us.

    While patting himself on the back and offering a full helping of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for those his administration considers American, his speech set out a similar proposition to that of one of the previous occupants of the White House, who proclaimed “there can be no divided allegiance here”, and once again laid bare his administration’s reductive and confrontational view of the complexities of international relations.

    Beating the drum for unity, he called on his fellow citizens to set aside their differences and “seek out common ground”, living the American dream “as one team, one people and one American family”.

    Yet the nation remains as divided as it was when he first entered office, with no bipartisan compromises likely to be reached on issues ranging from immigration to energy policies. The extent of the fault line was underscored by the mostly silent response from Democratic lawmakers throughout his speech.

    For although coached in a more somber tone than has been his norm and purporting to be a vision of inclusion and confidence, his speech was once again a hymn to exclusion and a litany of insecurities.

    Harping on his usual complaint that the United States is somehow hard done by under the deals it has agreed to, he declared “the era of economic surrender is over”, which only served to reinforce the fact that often if you take away the opinions you take away the complaint.

    Worse, by naming China and Russia as rivals that “challenge our interests, our economy and our values”, he placed them along with rogue regimes and terrorist groups as “horrible dangers” to the US.

    Yet to conclude from that Sino-US relations are inevitably on a collision course is too pessimistic, especially given the huge interdependence between the world’s largest and second-largest economies and broad common ground that they share. But it does mean ill words should not be doubled by ill deeds if they are to make best use of the bonds that have been forged.

    Rather than trying to turn back time with his America first strategy, Trump should validate his election as a break with the past by embracing an American moment that is of the times.

    For experience shows that rather than complacency and concessions, it is when the US tries to take matters into its own hands that it invites its troubles.

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    中文字幕在线观看免费视频| 亚洲?V无码成人精品区日韩| 中文无码久久精品| 人妻无码αv中文字幕久久| 一级片无码中文字幕乱伦| 天堂无码久久综合东京热| 日韩一区二区三区无码影院| 亚洲日韩在线中文字幕综合| 中文字幕一区二区人妻| 4444亚洲人成无码网在线观看| 亚洲精品无码mv在线观看网站| 中文字幕在线观看日本| 午夜不卡无码中文字幕影院| 日韩人妻无码精品无码中文字幕| 日韩人妻精品无码一区二区三区 | 日韩午夜福利无码专区a| 久久久久亚洲AV片无码下载蜜桃 | 最近最新中文字幕完整版| 性无码专区| 国产成人亚洲综合无码| 未满小14洗澡无码视频网站| 亚洲精品无码久久久影院相关影片 | 亚洲日韩精品无码专区网址 | 久久久久av无码免费网| 我的小后妈中文翻译| 日韩视频中文字幕精品偷拍| 最近中文字幕高清字幕在线视频 | 天堂在线中文字幕| 最近2018中文字幕免费视频| 日本精品中文字幕| 亚洲日本中文字幕| 合区精品久久久中文字幕一区| 最近2019年中文字幕一页| 最近中文字幕完整免费视频ww| 中文字幕在线一区二区在线| 中文字幕欧美日本亚洲| 久久久久亚洲AV无码专区首JN| 亚洲AV永久无码精品网站在线观看| 亚洲国产无套无码av电影| 人妻丰满熟妇岳AV无码区HD| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕图|