Jul 27, 2020
The U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic has harmed the country's standing in the world, with observers calling the policy choices of President Donald Trump to handle the disease "ridiculous" and "shocking" as the crisis exposes the deep flaws in the American system.
"People are stunned about the effect of incapable leadership," German Marshall Fund vice president Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff told the Washington Post.
\u201cA chilling review of the extraordinary damage Trump\u2019s policies have done to the United States https://t.co/WlKu6o73Gd\u201d— Hans Kristensen (@Hans Kristensen) 1595849310
As the Post reported, the complete collapse of U.S. institutions in the face of the pandemic has led to a corresponding drop in American worldwide leadership that Kleine-Brockhoff termed the "collapse of soft power of America."
As journalist Grant Stern noted, the current catastrophe and ineffectiveness of U.S. leadership are both part of a longstanding push by the Republican Party to withdraw from the world.
"Totally avoidable," tweeted Stern. "Entirely foreseeable."
London think tank Chatham House director Robin Niblett termed the crisis and the ongoing protests around the country against the American system as the U.S. "being involved in its own internal reckoning."
"It's America trying to battle with historical and contemporary demons that as much as anything are a result of its own internal contradictions and tensions and strengths and weaknesses," Niblett told the Post. "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."
According to the Post:
Trump's handling of the pandemic has created division and confusion rather than an effective national strategy. The rest of the world sees the United States 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 responded with the unprecedented step of blocking Americans from entering 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 economic crises call out for committed global cooperation.
International youth surveyed on the U.S. response to the pandemic by the New York Times in a video essay echoed the concerns of the experts in the Post story.
"Are they mass graves?" one young woman from New Zealand asks as the video shows mass graves being dug in New York from April. "I'm sorry, America has mass graves?"
\u201ca powerful video\n\n(it didn\u2019t have to be like this) https://t.co/n7vSneljz4\u201d— Bruno J. Navarro (@Bruno J. Navarro) 1595853290
Trump's misleadership comes in for particular criticism, with one young man in Singapore noting that while the president is a figure of ridicule around the world, his actions are having a real human cost to the people of the U.S.
"We see the shit that he says. We see the decisions he makes," the young man says. "And it's funny, but when it comes to something as serious as this, it's just--it's not funny anymore."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic has harmed the country's standing in the world, with observers calling the policy choices of President Donald Trump to handle the disease "ridiculous" and "shocking" as the crisis exposes the deep flaws in the American system.
"People are stunned about the effect of incapable leadership," German Marshall Fund vice president Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff told the Washington Post.
\u201cA chilling review of the extraordinary damage Trump\u2019s policies have done to the United States https://t.co/WlKu6o73Gd\u201d— Hans Kristensen (@Hans Kristensen) 1595849310
As the Post reported, the complete collapse of U.S. institutions in the face of the pandemic has led to a corresponding drop in American worldwide leadership that Kleine-Brockhoff termed the "collapse of soft power of America."
As journalist Grant Stern noted, the current catastrophe and ineffectiveness of U.S. leadership are both part of a longstanding push by the Republican Party to withdraw from the world.
"Totally avoidable," tweeted Stern. "Entirely foreseeable."
London think tank Chatham House director Robin Niblett termed the crisis and the ongoing protests around the country against the American system as the U.S. "being involved in its own internal reckoning."
"It's America trying to battle with historical and contemporary demons that as much as anything are a result of its own internal contradictions and tensions and strengths and weaknesses," Niblett told the Post. "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."
According to the Post:
Trump's handling of the pandemic has created division and confusion rather than an effective national strategy. The rest of the world sees the United States 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 responded with the unprecedented step of blocking Americans from entering 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 economic crises call out for committed global cooperation.
International youth surveyed on the U.S. response to the pandemic by the New York Times in a video essay echoed the concerns of the experts in the Post story.
"Are they mass graves?" one young woman from New Zealand asks as the video shows mass graves being dug in New York from April. "I'm sorry, America has mass graves?"
\u201ca powerful video\n\n(it didn\u2019t have to be like this) https://t.co/n7vSneljz4\u201d— Bruno J. Navarro (@Bruno J. Navarro) 1595853290
Trump's misleadership comes in for particular criticism, with one young man in Singapore noting that while the president is a figure of ridicule around the world, his actions are having a real human cost to the people of the U.S.
"We see the shit that he says. We see the decisions he makes," the young man says. "And it's funny, but when it comes to something as serious as this, it's just--it's not funny anymore."
The U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic has harmed the country's standing in the world, with observers calling the policy choices of President Donald Trump to handle the disease "ridiculous" and "shocking" as the crisis exposes the deep flaws in the American system.
"People are stunned about the effect of incapable leadership," German Marshall Fund vice president Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff told the Washington Post.
\u201cA chilling review of the extraordinary damage Trump\u2019s policies have done to the United States https://t.co/WlKu6o73Gd\u201d— Hans Kristensen (@Hans Kristensen) 1595849310
As the Post reported, the complete collapse of U.S. institutions in the face of the pandemic has led to a corresponding drop in American worldwide leadership that Kleine-Brockhoff termed the "collapse of soft power of America."
As journalist Grant Stern noted, the current catastrophe and ineffectiveness of U.S. leadership are both part of a longstanding push by the Republican Party to withdraw from the world.
"Totally avoidable," tweeted Stern. "Entirely foreseeable."
London think tank Chatham House director Robin Niblett termed the crisis and the ongoing protests around the country against the American system as the U.S. "being involved in its own internal reckoning."
"It's America trying to battle with historical and contemporary demons that as much as anything are a result of its own internal contradictions and tensions and strengths and weaknesses," Niblett told the Post. "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."
According to the Post:
Trump's handling of the pandemic has created division and confusion rather than an effective national strategy. The rest of the world sees the United States 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 responded with the unprecedented step of blocking Americans from entering 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 economic crises call out for committed global cooperation.
International youth surveyed on the U.S. response to the pandemic by the New York Times in a video essay echoed the concerns of the experts in the Post story.
"Are they mass graves?" one young woman from New Zealand asks as the video shows mass graves being dug in New York from April. "I'm sorry, America has mass graves?"
\u201ca powerful video\n\n(it didn\u2019t have to be like this) https://t.co/n7vSneljz4\u201d— Bruno J. Navarro (@Bruno J. Navarro) 1595853290
Trump's misleadership comes in for particular criticism, with one young man in Singapore noting that while the president is a figure of ridicule around the world, his actions are having a real human cost to the people of the U.S.
"We see the shit that he says. We see the decisions he makes," the young man says. "And it's funny, but when it comes to something as serious as this, it's just--it's not funny anymore."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.