The Economic Times (January 24)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is usually an inspiring speaker, “but little of that was on display…. when Modi took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.” Though he hit some strong notes, “it wasn’t clear what, concretely, India would do to persuade or win over waverers; how it would forge new alliances and blaze new trails to progress….. Davos didn’t want India to sell itself to the world; it needed India to lead.”
Los Angeles Times (January 3)
“Although Trump is in a class by himself when it comes to incompetence, greed, mendacity, absence of values and unfitness for office, America’s ‘abdication’ of its world leadership role has been a long time coming. We have gone from overreach to inertia to incompetence, and damaged our standing at every step along the way.”
Tags: Abdication, Greed, Incompetence, Inertia, Leadership, Mendacity, Overreach, Trump, Unfitness
The Economist (October 14)
“The world’s most powerful man” is now clearly Xi Jinping who possesses decidedly “more clout than Donald Trump.” As the U.S. abandons global leadership, Xi’s arrival on the world stage has been welcomed by many. But Xi is not a benign force. “The world should be wary” and “not expect Mr Xi to change China, or the world, for the better.”
New York Times (October 5)
“Another day, another embarrassing foreign policy circus in the nation’s capital that can only further erode trust in American leadership at home and abroad.” President Trump undercut Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, raising “doubts among world leaders about whether he represents the president’s true intentions.” While Tillerson has his own faults, “those weaknesses are nothing compared to those of an inexperienced, self-absorbed, bombastic and impulsive president.”
Tags: Bombastic, Doubts, Embarrassing, Foreign policy, Impulsive, Inexperienced, Leadership, Self-absorbed, Tillerson, Trump, Trust, U.S., Weaknesses
Washington Post (October 2)
“America has no monopoly on evil or sick people, yet it loses far more people to gun violence. Other countries — notably Australia following a mass shooting in 1996 — have demonstrated the possibility of bans on assault weapons and other common-sense restrictions. What makes America unique is the absence of political will and leadership.”
Tags: Assault weapons, Australia, Bans, Common-sense restrictions, Evil, Gun violence, Leadership, Mass shooting, Monopoly, Political will, U.S.
New York Times (August 10)
“Mr. Trump has again made himself the focus of attention, when it should be Kim Jong-un, the ruthless North Korean leader, and his accelerating nuclear program.” His “threats have also diverted attention from a genuine accomplishment, the new Security Council sanctions.” This is a time for “prudent, disciplined leadership…. Rhetorically stomping his feet, as he did on Tuesday, is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous.”
Tags: Attention, Dangerous, Disciplined, Diverted, Irresponsible, Kim, Leadership, North Korea Nuclear program, Prudent, Ruthless, Sanctions, Security Council, Threats, Trump
New York Times (June 13)
“Tensions are reaching a dangerous pitch on the Korean Peninsula, testing the leadership of South Korea’s new president, Moon Jae-in…. In effect, Mr. Moon finds himself pincered between two rival powers, China and the United States, while facing an existential threat from the dictator next door.”
Tags: China, Dangerous, Dictator, Existential threat, Korean Peninsula, Leadership, Moon, Rival powers, South Korea, Tensions, U.S.
Washington Post (March 27)
“What would the world look like today if Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower had shared the foreign policy inclinations of Barack Obama or, far more dangerous, Donald Trump?” In the past, there have always been “politicians who would take up the hard work of making the case for U.S. leadership, beginning with presidents such as Truman and Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton. That’s a tradition that stands in danger today,” which is a problem because U.S. leadership still matters.
Tags: Eisenhower, Foreign policy, Leadership, Obama, Truman, Trump, U.S.
The New York Times (December 12)
“Canada’s generosity—and Mr. Trudeau’s personal warmth and leadership — can serve as a beacon for others.” Prime Minister Trudeau was on hand to welcome the first groups of Syrian refugees to Canada. He even helped one man find a winter coat that fit. Canada’s warm reception of refugees in need “puts to shame the callous and irresponsible behavior of the American governors and presidential candidates who have argued that the United States, for the sake of its security, must shut its doors to all Syrian refugees.”
Tags: Canada, Generosity, Leadership, Refugees, Security, Syria, Trudeau, U.S.
Forbes (April 15)
It’s easy to underestimate the loss of Greece. “While it may be true that the economic damage of a Greek collapse would largely be confined to Greece itself, it nonetheless would undermine the great post-WWII dream of a united Europe that would never experience another catastrophic war….. Thanks to remarkably bad leadership, Europe’s post-WWII order is in mortal danger, threatening unimaginable political and economic repercussions.”
Tags: Collapse, Danger, Economic damage, Europe, Greece, Leadership, War, WWII
