The newspapers and internet this week have been full of stories about the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkey. Many commentators have written that President Trump's reaction, at least initially, was inappropriately tepid … at the very least. The President indicated that he (and by extension, the United States) had little reason to respond because Khashoggi was not a citizen of the United States.
Several days later, Leslie Stahl asked in an interview how the United States should respond to Khashoggi's murder if the charges turned out to be true. Trump responded that he didn't want to lose the Saudis' $110 billion order for military equipment because it would "hurt jobs" in United States. In other words, the Saudis alleged severe violation of human rights could be justified by an economic transaction. Trump saidto Stahl:
There are other ways of — punishing, to use a word that’s a pretty harsh word, but it’s true. (my italics)In other words to punish Saudi Arabia for the murder of a journalist would be too harsh a response for its crime committed against the world order.
In the same interview, Trump acknowledged that Russia's President Vladimir Putin was "probably" involved in a number of murders of Russian nationals who were living at the time in Great Britain. Trump responded: "it didn't happen here [in the United States], so it's not our responsibility." Leaving aside the question of the appropriateness of his general relationship with Putin, Trump is again saying that severe human rights violations can happen anywhere else in the world without a significant response from the United States.
Trump seems to have a great deal of respect for the autocrats of the world. Indeed, the first visit his presidency was to Crown Prince bin Salman of Saudi Arabia despite that country's terrible human rights record. The President has also expressed approval of the autocratic rulers of:
- Egypt (el-Sissi)
- the Philippines (Duerte)
- Turkey (Erdocan)
- China (Xi Jinping) and even some who are dead
Mussolini (Italy)
Kaddafi (Libya)
Hussein (Iraq)
This is all to say nothing of President Trump's disdain for the foundations of our own democracy:
- he has complained about or mocked the judiciary, the media, the rule of law (eg. treatment of immigrants);
- he has suggested changing libel laws so he could punish the media;
- he has attempted to suppress Americans' right to protest,
Democracy requires faith, and it requires participation. It also requires a set of moral values that value freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of dissent, and respect for human rights.
It is critical that the United States endorses and gives support to these values around the world.
President Trump, however, has made clear that United States will not interfere in flagrant violations of human rights** or of democratic norms not only in other countries but also in the United States. Especially at this critical time in our history in which democracy is under attack from many sides, President Trump's refusal to support democracy around the world is another example of his powerfully disruptive force opposing the world's commitment to democracy.
**More on human rights in a future post.
