Three years ago, Washington was busy marshaling an alliance of the world’s democracies against Russia.
Today, having voted with the same Russia against a UN resolution condemning it for the invasion of Ukraine, it has done a full about face.
To put this in its proper context, the United States has now assumed the same position as its African bête noire, South Africa, which, whatever its other deficiencies, has at least its consistency going for it.
There will be enough time to scrutinize President Trump’s motive and why the United States would so unceremoniously and brazenly pitch its political tent with one of the world’s most unrepentant dictators.
What is beyond dispute is the clear message that this diplomatic volte face sends to despots of all tribes.
It is one thing, as President Trump has done, to suspend foreign aid in the name of putting America first. One might disagree with the move while seeing it, as I have argued, as a signal for aid-recipient countries to rethink their reliance on foreign assistance and get their house in order.
Openly taking sides with a dictator while purveying the same dictator’s verisimilitudes and brazen distortions is a different matter.
At no other time in global history since the end of the Cold War has the need for American leadership been arguably more palpable. While, across the world, there is a justifiable expectation that Washington will continue to be the leading advocate of a rules-based order; in Africa, pro-democracy advocates rightly look up to Washington to either crack the whip or, failing which, at least be a symbol, however imperfectly, of a political system that is based on the rule of law.
To say that that faith is now in jeopardy is a gross understatement. Having now come around to the same position as the ANC, will the United States now apologize to the South African regime?
American leadership in the free world has always been less about how much material support it gives and more about how it comports itself.
The United States damages itself, damages the cause of democracy more, and gives succor to reaction when it takes the side of a despot against a democracy fighting for its freedom.
America First does not have to be democracy last. The world needs American leadership. Most importantly, the world needs America to remain a democracy.
Palling around with despots and purveyors of state terror is not the way to go about it.
