(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Our 45th President has traipsed over to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, planning to rub elbows with world leaders, repair some relationships, and possibly shred even more.
He had hardly landed before he started threatening to cut off aid to the Palestinians unless they participate in peace talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestinian leaders are justifiably angry that 45, without a conversation with them, said he would move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, the city that both Palestinian and Israelis consider their capital.
Since 45 has been President, the world has been losing respect for us. According to a November Gallup poll, approval of US leaders among 134 countries has hit a new low of 30 percent, down 18 percent from the 48 percent approval rate in President Obama’s last year, and even lower than the previous low of 34 percent in George W. Bush’s last year.
Only Liberia, Macedonia, Israel and Belarus increased their approval rating of the US, while Portugal, Norway, Belgium and Canada saw approval ratings plunge by 40 points or more. 45 has been currying Israel’s favor, so it is no wonder that they are more approving of him. But US leadership lags behind support for leadership in both Germany and China. Only Russia has a lower approval rating than we do.
Meanwhile, 45 is ignoring most of the rest of the world. A year into his Presidency, he has not appointed ambassadors for fully half of the world. The Bureau of African Affairs, part of the State Department, has no leader. There is an “acting” Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto, a career foreign policy professional who has worked for both Presidents Bush and Obama. Yamamoto has some responsibility for the Bureau of African Affairs, but it is not his priority.
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