Donald Trump said that the West “will never be broken”, but it is evident after the G20 meeting that the West, or at least the G20, is in deep disarray and has not been able to forge a common agenda.
United States president Donald Trump went to Poland before he arrived in Hamburg (Germany) for the G20 meeting. In Poland, Trump gave a fiery speech about defending the West. “The fundamental question of our time,” Trump said, “is whether the West has the will to survive.” Then Trump elaborated on this theme: “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders?Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilisation in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?” Trump’s most direct statement came in his punch line: “The West will never be broken.”
So much history lay within this speech. It was Trump’s clearest statement of his views. He sees himself as the defender of “the West” and of its “civilisation” and “values”. Other leaders, he suggests, are too weak. They are unwilling to stand for “the West” against its enemies. Trump did not specify the nature of the enemies. He did not directly say against whom he is defending the West. But, given his other statements, it seems clear that his enemies are Islam and liberalism.
This story is from the August 4, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the August 4, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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