Two women, both doubtlessly talented and good at their jobs, were injected into the U.S. president’s recent visit to North Korea. His daughter, Ivanka, whose resume consists mainly of a short foray into the rag-trade, seemed to fancy herself a diplomat, butting into conversation between prominent leaders of several countries. It was a glaring example of how little her dear old dad, and by extension she, cares about the rest of the world.
Of course, my disparagement of Mrs. Kushner is free of gender bias — I’m equally opposed to the presence of Mr. Kushner’s own clumsy attempts to re-model the world in the image of the U.S.A. The inclusion of these hopelessly unqualified individuals signals to the world that the U.S. government considers high-level diplomacy to be unworthy of respect.
Trump’s cavalier approach to international relations is aptly symbolized by the presence of his family at events for which they have neither the aptitude nor the experience, nor indeed the qualification.
Another woman who accompanied Trump on his trip to the two Koreas was Stephanie Grisham, formerly an assistant to the First Lady and recently promoted (?) to presidential press secretary. Her behaviour, also, indicated something about U.S. attitudes to non-Americans, and again, I’m sure that a male press secretary would have acted in similar fashion, if a little more rudely.
Trump’s cavalier approach to international relations is aptly symbolized by the presence of his family at events for which they have neither the aptitude nor the experience, nor indeed the qualification.
Grisham tried to impose U.S. rules on the North Korean security detail, not very subtly informing us that we are all out of step with U.S. norms, and that we’d better smarten up if we don’t want to be hit with more sanctions, or worse.
The U.S. president has never pretended to respect any rules but his own. I doubt that he feels any regret over the indecorous behaviour of these two women who waded into the world of diplomacy with all the blissful ignorance of their bumptious leader. I feel sure, though, that there will come a time when this parade of arrogance and contempt for the cultures of other nations will come to an end. Then another president will have the task of mending fences and trying to reassure the world that the U.S. wishes, after all, to remain a part of the human race.
There are, I know, many Americans who find the Trump family saga embarrassing, and who cringe at every new demonstration of nepotism. But there are, also, many who view this clumsy and uninformed presidency as a gift from God.
For the safety of the world, I hope some of the Trump-idolizers will come to their senses, and find a candidate, preferably a woman, who has the personality and the competence to govern wisely, and to bring the U.S. back into the family of nations.
Ed Healey,
Marystown
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