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L’Europe doit s’opposer à Trump

Aug 19, 2019 Jeffrey D. Sachs

NEW YORK – À l’approche du retour de Donald Trump en Europe ce mois-ci, à l’occasion du sommet du G7, les dirigeants européens ont épuisé toutes les options dans leur manière de manœuvrer le président américain. Ils ont tenté la séduction, la persuasion, l’indifférence, l’approbation, le désaccord. En vain. La désobligeance de Trump est sans limite. La dernière alternative possible consiste désormais à s’opposer au président américain.

La question la plus immédiate réside dans les échanges commerciaux entre l’Europe et l’Iran, une problématique non négligeable, et une bataille que l’Europe ne peut se permettre de perdre.

Trump est capable d’infliger de lourds dégâts sans le moindre scrupule, ce qu’il fait actuellement par voie économique ainsi qu’à travers ses menaces d’intervention militaire. Le président américain invoque des pouvoirs d’urgence économique et financière pour pousser l’Iran et le Venezuela vers l’effondrement économique. Il s’efforce par ailleurs de ralentir voire de stopper la croissance de la Chine en fermant les marchés américains aux exportations chinoises, en limitant la vente de technologies américaines aux entreprises chinoises, ainsi qu’en accusant la Chine de manipulation monétaire.

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Jeffrey D. Sachs

Writing for PS since 1995
337 Commentaries

Jeffrey D. Sachs, University Professor at Columbia University, is Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He has served as adviser to three UN Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres. His books include The End of Poverty, Common Wealth, The Age of Sustainable Development, Building the New American Economy, A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism, and, most recently, The Ages of Globalization.

Trump’s Psychopathology Is Getting Worse
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Trump’s Psychopathology Is Getting Worse

Jeffrey D. Sachs & Bandy X. Lee believe that the US president’s paranoia and sadism are intensifying – portending severe damage to the world.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 17 Comments on this article

manuel werner Aug 26, 2019

This past weekend's G7 summit has shown, unequivocally that Macron, and likely the other five leaders, completely understand that they are dealing with an infantile US president.
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Karen Williams Aug 26, 2019

It seems to me that world leaders who want a sane world must stick together whenever they oppose Trump, and avoid presenting any single leader as the face of opposition (unless that leader and his/her country are uniquely invulnerable to whatever Trump might do to retaliate).

If European leaders had had the stomach to do what the Saudis did at the beginning of Trump's Presidency, flattering him shamelessly, THAT would have been the best way to manage Trump. I guess it's a lot more difficult for elected leaders to do than it was for the Saudi autocrats, because there'd be fallout from the leaders' electorates (who would be angered by such a move and unlikely to see its wisdom), and in any case it is now too late.
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WmC Mantis Aug 25, 2019

Trump's glaring personality defects---regardless of their proper label---prevent him from performing an objective cost/benefit analysis of any policy or course of action. This is a problem. But an even larger problem is the people around him, like Bolton and Pompeii, who are even less capable of objective analysis.
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Adrian Wu Aug 24, 2019

The Americans target individuals and create an atmosphere of terror through sanctions. Witness the cases of Meng Wanzhou and the Alstom executive Fédéric Pierucci. The former in an effort to destroy Huawei, the most formidable competitor to American tech companies. The latter to pressure the Alstom CEO to selling the company to GE. European companies are frequent victims of this type of scheme.
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Joseph Zorzin Aug 23, 2019

Wow, that's quite a collection of horrible things about Trump. For a different perspective, try reading "The Case for Trump" by Victor Davis Hanson".
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Basle Jean-Luc Aug 22, 2019

Jeffrey, The problem is much bigger than you make it out to be. Trump probably suffers from mental disorders. His policies are incoherent and destructive. He definitely does not belong in the White House. But Hillary Clinton was a war-monger with a disastrous record as Secretary of State. Furthermore, Joe Biden, the likely Democratic Party candidate for 2020, is an absolute nobody. A nation that is incapable of selecting talented leaders is in serious trouble. The question is: why this is so?
True, the United States suffers from a one-man rule. But Congress gave up on its right to legislate on several occasions, especially when it comes to its most sacred duty, that of declare war. The United States has been moving to what some call the Unitary Presidency for sometimes now. Again, the question is: why this is so? Trump is simply taking full advantage of it.
With respect to Europe, its leaders have long learned they are powerless vis-à-vis the United States with the weaponization of the dollar, of world trade, of internet, of SWIFT, etc., with the extraterritoriality of American laws and taxes which is cynically used to defraud and destroy European corporations and banks (BNP Paribas, HSBC, Commerzbank, Siemens, Alstom, Telia, Total, etc. etc.).
So, Jeffrey, the truth of the matter is that the United States is in serious trouble… and the entire world with it!
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Gerry Hofman Aug 22, 2019

The defining thing about Trump is that he is the president not wearing a mask. As George Galloway puts it, Trump is the president without the lipstick. Had it been Hillary Clinton, the lipstick would have been all over and she would have been much, much worse.
Trump is a blustering, posturing businessman. Trump is entirely used to the public spectacle and has no need to play hide and seek for the camera. What you see is what you get, that is his trademark and that is what Americans love about him.
Obama never stopped hiding behind his mask of ethics and decency while deporting millions of migrants at the border. Bush never stopped hiding behind religious zeal and righteousness while bombing an entire nation into the ground. Hillary is a hawk of the same conviction and she would never have stopped hiding behind the pretense of female privilege and vulnerability.
What people object about Trump is his crass, insulting nature. What he is showing them is what that whole political elite is like over there, precisely, in lively detail. This is what they are like, in real life, every day. It's how they talk, it's how they behave. So as far as reality shows are concerned, we had better enjoy it because this is about as good as it's going to get.
What Europe must resist is not Trump, but American political militarism. But before it can do that, it will first have to resist British politicians demanding compliance with Brexit demands. If the EU gives in on Brexit, Trump will tear them apart and gut them as he has no respect for weak people or losers. So lets just see how that finishes first.
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j. von Hettlingen Aug 21, 2019

Jeffrey Sachs urges Europe to «oppose» Trump during the uncoming G7 summit in Biarritz in France, highlighting the danger the moron poses to – not only the US – but also to the wider world. What he deems dangerous is Trump’s mental condition, which «leaves him unable to keep his word, control his animosities, and restrain his actions.» Mental health experts have been following him closely since he took office, and they have seen troublesome signs that confirm their fears.
Unsurprisingly, when Special Counsel, Robert Mueller was about to testify before the House's Judiciary and Intelligence committees about Russian election interference and whether Trump obstructed justice on July 24, a group of psychiatrists wanted a question asked: Did Mueller ever consider requesting an evaluation of Trump’s mental capacity? They argued that the Mueller report shows Trump is mentally unsound and should not have war powers.
Trump has long been known for his aggression, cynicism, ignorance, impetuosity, incompetence, injudiciousness, intemperance, mendacity, and his disdain for expert opinion and diplomacy. He is far from the good businessman and negotiator he claims to be. Many of his voters do not mind him being «megalomaniac, paranoid, psychopath,» because he had cut taxes (but mainly for the rich and corporations), and put two conservatives on the Supreme Court bench.
Nevertheless, Trump never ceases to amaze the world how unpredictably malevolent he is. The dangers of keeping him in office are becoming harder to ignore. Having rid himself of mature and competent advisers, he surrounds himself with uber-hawks like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, who «epitomize a uniquely arrogant approach to the world» and are mainly responsible for the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, and the ongoing tariff war with China.
The author says, Trump «is actively trying to break any country that refuses to bow to his demands.» Motivated by greed he is easily bought by foreign leaders. He is so cheap that all they need to do is dangling the idea of a Trump tower in their countries to win his support. Beholden to the Saudis and Israelis he imposed stringent sanctions on Tehran, because Iranian leaders had refused to cede to his demand for a photo-op meeting, which he saw «was reason enough» to topple the regime.
Accused of being in thrall to China, the author sheds light on Trump’s «hatreds» towards Beijing. He says when Trump met Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in June, Trump declared a truce in his “trade war” with China. Yet a few weeks later, he announced new tariffs. A recent «plunge» in global markets forced him to retreat temporarily. «But his aggression toward China will continue; and his intemperate actions vis-à-vis that country will increasingly threaten Europe’s economy and security.»
Britain, France, Germany, together with China and Russia, seek to salvage the nuclear deal they signed with Iran. Trump’s disdain for the EU and NATO is notorious, doing Putin’s bidding to destroy these multilateral institutions that have secured peace and prosperity for seven decades. Bolton visited the UK recently and urged the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, to leave the EU with or without a deal. He also demanded the UK to adopt a tougher line on Tehran and Chinese tech firm Huawei.
The author says, Trump and Bolton «don’t give a whit about the UK, but they ardently hope the EU fails. Any enemy of the Union – such as Johnson, Italy’s Matteo Salvini, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – is therefore a friend of Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo.» He also urges EU leaders to «face down the threats of US extraterritorial sanctions in partnership with China, India, and Russia. Trade with Iran can easily be denominated in euros, renminbi, rupees, and rubles, avoiding US banks. Oil-for-goods trade can be accomplished through a euro-clearing mechanism such as INSTEX.»
If bypassing US sanctions is as simple as the author says, Iran and the EU would be in a more comfortable position today. He also believes «the EU, China, India, and Russia could challenge them in the UN Security Council, which would oppose the US policies by a wide margin. If the US were to veto a Security Council resolution opposing the sanctions, the entire UN General Assembly could take up the matter under the ‘Uniting for Peace’ procedures. An overwhelming majority of the UN’s 193 countries would denounce the sanctions’ extraterritorial application.»
It is astonishing that the author’s brilliant ideas have not gained any traction. Nevertheless the world needs to protect itself from Trump’s wrecking ball approach and defend international rule of law, including rules-based international trade. The author encourages Europeans and Americans to join forces and together «strengthen world peace and transatlantic amity for generations to come.» It remains to be seen how long it will take to repair the damage Trump’s tenure has inflicted. First he needs to be defeated at the ballot box in 2020.
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European Banker Aug 21, 2019

I’m not a fan of the current POTUS, his impulsive tweets with disgruntled qualifications of countries, their leaders, democrats, immigrants, minorities, etc., but given the author’s strong reference to some personality disorders attributed to the current POTUS, I think the author’s article would have benefited from being written and published with co-authors being thought leaders in the field of DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), i.e. psychiatrists of the same stature as the honorourable author himself. Perhaps some of these thought leaders can comment on this article.
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Petey Bee Aug 20, 2019

I am not a supporter or sympathizer of Trump at all. But this article is attributing to one person a number of roughly consistent (but unwise) US policies, which have existed since the turn of the century.

Besides that, I agree with the author, in hoping that EU leadership will use its considerable moral influence* to restrain the more aggressive endeavors of the Trump administration and US hawks in general.

---
* footnote: wealthy people in the US, including the leadership class, tend to have a cultural inferiority complex vs Western Europeans, and consider most of their own world essentially uncivilized (regardless of ethnicity etc). You would be surprised how far people get exploiting this phenomenon alone. This would be a good opportunity to use it for something good.
- R Zwarich Aug 21, 2019
  
  This is a key point from our good citizen Petey Bee. Professor Sachs surely knows that self-awareness (objectivity) is the key to scholarship, and I hope he takes note here.
  
  Dr Sachs stretches the truth a good long bit beyond its breaking point when he blames Trump for a "contagion of mass shootings". Was Obama to blame, then, for Newtown, or any of the other mass shootings 'on his watch', in the long history of American Mass Shootings since Austin in '65?
  
  But wait ... It gets so much worse than that ... If we acknowledge the truth, that the deranged shooter in Dayton was a leftist who had publicly expressed support for Senator Warren, should we not then, according to the professor's 'logic', be assigning blame and moral responsibility for the tragedy in Dayton to the senator?
  
  At what point does 'biased omission' become 'lying'?
  
  I admire Professor Sach's article with considerable enthusiasm, but I wince painfully to hear him deviate from the truth, (which he does in several directions). Surely he knows that when one proselytizes for 'good', the devil is going to advocate against one. "If he lies about that", the always-cunning devil will say, "we'd be fools to believe ANYTHING he says".
  
  The good professor's bias leads him astray elsewhere, as well:
  
  Early on he advocates that Europe should realize that Trump does not represent, and is not supported by, "the American people". According to the most recent poll numbers Trumps has the support of about 84-87 million voting age Americans. (84 million sounds like a fair number of 'the American people' to me).
  
  Late in the article he corrects himself, and only cites "a majority of the American people". Yea ... well ... a 56-58% majority would not even pass a bill through the US Senate.
  
  The nation is deeply divided, with strong feelings and powerful forces on multiple 'sides', and the professor is claiming some kind of 'mandate'?
  
  ("See?", the always wily and cunning devil will say).
  
  "I can hire half the working class to kill the other half" was the boast of Gilded Age US Industrialist Jay Gould.
  
  *God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
  Abe said, "God, you must be puttin' me on"
  God said, "No" Abe say, "What?"
  God say, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
  The next time you see me comin', you better run"
  Well, Abe said, "Where you want this killin' done?"
  God said, "Out on Highway 61"*
  --(reference needed?)
  
  How far are we from more generalized violence? How long before people will be shot at a campaign rally? How long before prominent high-profile politicians, like The Squad, will be too afraid to appear in public?
  
  There were armed Antifa thugs, openly armed with, and aggressively brandishing, loaded assault rifles, on the ground, in Charlottesville. In fact, actual video footage, (pretty grainy, but you can see it pretty clearly), shows that when the deranged right-wing white kid drove into the crowd, (killing one and injuring several), a man later identified as a prominent Antifa 'leader', openly brandishing an assault rifle, chased the car down the street as the assailant fled.
  
  We must be aware of the atmosphere our communications must compete in.
  
  We must direct communication that is intended to erode Trump's power base. His 'base' is built on his clever and artful lies. We must begin to fashion a message that can communicate with the people who comprise Trump's confused and bamboozled working class/declining middle class power base.
  
  The truth could be our most powerful ally. But the truth serves no master. The truth only serves itself. The ONLY way to have the truth in one's own camp is to seek it out and pitch one's own tent close by.
  
  When we deviate from the truth, when we take up the practice of cleverly propagated self-bias, our communications only serve to enflame and impassion Trump's base, the exact opposite of our need to erode it.
  
  If we serve the truth diligently, we will trust in our own belief system, (in our ideology), more fully. When we trust that it is true, we can trust that others can be drawn to it. We must trust that if we reach out to American working people with the truth, they will be drawn to it.
  
  Have we ever thought of trying that?
  
  Professor Sachs is one of 'our' (whatever THAT means) most effective communicators. I always watch eagerly for his byline. But what does the good professor, indeed, what does the anti-Trump American Left, have to say to American working people that is 'true'?
  
  Open borders? More intense competition with the world's most desperate and destitute people is good for you?
  
  As they've lost their homes, families broken down, addictions proliferating, suicide rate skyrocketing, life expectancy rapidly declining, their children with needles in their hopeless arms, the American Left wants to tell American working people that they must compete for survival with ever more streaming-in masses of desperate and destitute people?
  
  Can't we see the problem?
  
  Professor Sachs has a remarkable ability to illuminate certain facets of the truth, but he sure doesn't do himself, or any cause that is best-served by an allegiance to the truth, any favors when he allows his bias to carry him 'across that line', into territory where the devil roams freely.
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john mesrobian Aug 19, 2019

Social Mood is going Negative around the Globe and Europe is leading the way.

Europe is rejecting Europe and following the election of Pres. Trump. The ruling elite are experiencing a revolt, Italy, Poland, Czech, Brexit, and etc. are going against the ruling elite.

Voters in Germany and France are opposing their leadership, Merkel and Macron are on their way out. Refer to recent elections in Germany and Macron's rating only 27% approve. Other European countries are not satisfied with their leadership, refer to the news and politics in each country.

President Trump will be reelected for the Democrats have nobody and their policies are radical and Socialist which will be rejected by the voters. Don't be fooled by the shame polls or Main Street Media or the Washington swamp. Trump is drawing crowds from both parties, which the Main Street Media is not telling.
- Ben Piper Aug 19, 2019
  
  Oh dear -where to begin -the perception from this side of the pond (guess you might be in St P. by your spelling/syntax) is that Europeans looked at populism -realised it was fascism and backed off -yes Macron and Merkel are not too popular -incumbents tend not to be when things are stressed-and with Breks**t and the crises in the middle east -global warming becoming ever more apparent things are a bit ....stressed-so anyways I think the question IS what does Trump and the other ‘simple answers (usually wring) to complicated problems’ merchants ACTUALLY have to offer -apart from fetishising ‘disruption’ like tantrumatic (or is that psychotic) teenagers - I’m afraid that in my world -it ain’t smart or clued up to be briefing for the destruction of the Western liberal enlightenment by psychopaths and small frightened people without the courage to face reality ?
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Emanuel Müller Aug 19, 2019

Unless US democracy is just a joke, Donald Trump, the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States, is just the messenger and an interesting one for once.
- Ben Piper Aug 19, 2019
  
  Oh c’mon - ‘interesting’ ....?
  is that like ‘May you live in interesting times’.....!
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P. Kamath Aug 19, 2019

I am sure Prof. Sachs ( himself being a New Yorker) knows a lot about Trump and his enterprises , some of them not reported in main stream papers😁!
Anyway, congratulations for updating about Trumpdom!
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