We often do not think of how the United States is seen by leaders elsewhere across the world. We cannot trust our mainstream press to give any accurate view, for they are caught up in their current leftist portrayal of an immoral and broken America. If you see a story in the news of a foreign leader, it is almost always a piece on the negative reactions of a Macron or Merkel. If you could get into the streets and cities of foreign nations, with the people that work and lead local businesses, what might they think about what is going on in the United States.
Being well travelled, I have had that opportunity on many occasions. Speaking at least one European language and one Asian language with a fair degree of competency, I have had ample opportunity to sit down with peoples from Germany to Hungary, South Korea to Taiwan. And in almost every case, the admiration for American strength and a fondness for the traditional values that made the shining light of America of the last two centuries stands out.
But perhaps the most moving example came from Mexico. Last year my wife and I had the privilege of taking a western Caribbean cruise. We visited all of the usual tourist digs, including Cozumel. Returning from a day trip to the ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum, we had the opportunity to walk the beautiful coastal town of Playa Del Carmen for several hours. I met and began a discussion with a man obviously well about town. He owned a series of tourist shops that seemed very prosperous. We discussed a number of subjects and he was apparently very well informed on local and national affairs.
I caught his attention when I asked bluntly about cartel activity in his town and whether it affected his ability to do business. He looked me over at the boldness of the question but concluded that I was not just another naïve tourist when he answered, “They leave us alone for the most part here. It is not nearly as bad as it is in some other areas.” I noted my concerns that the cartels in Mexico were growing more powerful than the government and military and what that might mean for the average citizen. He simply nodded his head in somber agreement and understanding.
I then mentioned that we have increasing corruption in our own government and that Americans were growing in their concerns about an unmanageable bureaucracy reaching unacceptable levels of behavior. His answer surprised me when he looked directly at me and said, “If America goes, we all go”.
In one sentence this wizened gentleman came to the crux of the matter. America has long been the last bastion of stability against elitist, oppressive, and overbearing governments that oppress their people. We are roundly criticized in the media by foreign leaders for our duties as the world’s policemen. But as soon as the cameras are turned off, those same pundits are begging our military to stick around and provide the levels of security they may or may not be able to provide for themselves.
America has exported her strength and virtues for over a century. But those strengths have been twisted in the last few decades and are being turned for more nefarious purposes at times. This is the essence of what is referred to as “deep state activities”. If America crumbles, or is significantly altered from our position of world leader, there is no power left on earth to check the darkness that would fill the vacuum now occupied by what light is left in America.
For better or worse, the Trump administration has worked to reverse some of the more overbearing policies of the past decade or two, easing up in some regions, while cracking down elsewhere as needed. If America recedes back into Obama era policies, other countries, especially China will ascend to fill our vacuum of principled leadership.
A man named Harbir Singh from India recently tweeted, “Americans, you should know that countries around the world, from the UK to India to Australia, are all on edge about your election. Our futures are on the line with your vote. If Biden wins we will all kneel to China, and there will be no second chance for us to get out from under China’s boot. Including you. You too will kneel to China. If Trump wins, a worldwide alliance of sovereign democratic nations led by the U.S. will usher in a dynamic new era of freedom and democracy globally.”
We may or may not be informed on the core issues here in America thanks to our obfuscating press, but when it comes to American strength and our leadership on the world stage, maybe we should listen to these voices of our concerned neighbors.