“And one of the presidents of a big country stood up and said,
well, sir, if we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us? I
said, you didn't pay. You're delinquent. He said, yes, let's say that happened.
No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the
hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” Donald Trump 10
February 2024
“Mr. Robinson, would you come up
to school this afternoon. We need to talk to you about an incident concerning
your son.”
My heart rate picked up, as would
any parent. I agreed to their request and shut down my computer and arranged
with my commander to leave work early. I was stationed in San Antonio at the
time and my son was a junior in High School. I drove over to McArthur High
School with a growing sense of dread. Sitting down with the assistant principal
in charge of discipline, I found out that my son had been involved in an
altercation on the bus. As the details unfolded, I relaxed. My son had stepped
in between a bully and his victim. Though there was some shoving and yelling,
his boldness had defused the situation. Though the principal appreciated what
my son had done, school policy nonetheless required some level of discipline. I
told the principal that he should do what he felt necessary; however, I would
take no action to discipline my son, since I felt that he’d done the right
thing. I tried to teach my children to stand up for weaker individuals, even at
some personal cost. I was, and remain, proud of my son for his actions
protecting a weaker person from a predatory bully.
Bully Definition: Noun, a blustering,
browbeating person especially : one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or
threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable. Marriam-Webster
Dictionary
Sadly, recent remarks by Donald
Trump reveal a personal nature given to bullying. During his speech in South
Carolina on 10 February of this year, he spoke of threatening another NATO ally
by refusing to come to their aid if attacked by Russia for not living up to his
perception of their fiscal responsibilities in regards to the rules of the NATO
treaty. Aside from his fundamental misunderstanding of how the treaty works, he
used the threat of violence to intimidate another country, “I would encourage
them to do whatever the hell they want,” referring to Putin and Russia.
It seems to me that such remarks,
designed to bully, show that Mr. Trump is fundamentally unsuited to hold high
office. Our country needs a leader who knows how to encourage cooperation and trust
among allies. No one trusts a bully whether an individual or a collective group
such as a nation. While such language might stroke our national ego, making us feel
strong and powerful, it clearly displays our inability to bring others over to
our ideals.
In our political system we enjoy the privilege
of choosing our leaders, and our choice says much about who we are, what we
believe, and what is important to us. We must carefully consider what kind of
person we want to represent us. These considerations transcend policy issues as
many others participate in the policy generation process. Choosing a leader
devoted to the tactic of bullying says that we as a nation believe in and support
bullying as an acceptable tactic to get the things that we want. We must
carefully weigh the ramifications, local, national, and international, of such
a choice. Instead of generating and strengthening international bonds, such
language, reminiscent of the mob, serves to separate and destroy trust. In the
modern complex and interconnected world, we must work to build trust and
cooperation.
During twenty-seven years of service in the
U.S. Army, I spent over eight of it stationed in Germany. While assigned to
U.S. Army South (USARSO) for over three years, I worked in a variety of
countries in South America. In multiple deployments to Iraq, I worked with
various allies and their contingents, some large and well known and other
smaller and less prestigious. In every instance, we needed the help and
cooperation of our allies. We could not complete the mission without the
soldiers, equipment, and expertise they brought to the table. I count myself
privileged to have served with so many fine men and women. During my time of
service, the Soviet Union collapsed; consequently, I found myself in the
interesting position of working with soldiers I formerly glared at across the
divide of the “Iron Curtain.” We enjoyed swapping stories as we quaffed a beer
or two after duty hours. I must say that I’m glad that history unfolded without
us going at each other hammer and tongs as they say. All this to say, that I
enjoyed extensive experience working with numerous allies in a variety of
situations, to include armed conflict. In our complex international world, we
need each other.
Of course, the leaders of other nations
make decisions that forward their own interests; however, we must cooperate
with each other. This involves significant give and take. A bully has no place
in such convoluted and sensitive operations. Threatening and browbeating will
only antagonize and isolate us from others that we very much need. NATO serves
an important purpose. When we invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq, we did so as
part of a large international coalition. Our Command Post in CJTF-7 included
operations officers from all our NATO partners. We worked together to
coordinate operations, enjoying the successes of our labors and occasionally mourning
together at our losses. We needed one another and learned to shoulder a combined
burden. Using threats to bend others to our will destroys the trust to engage
in such operations, often fraught with peril. We should not choose a leader who
embraces such indefensible tactics. They do not represent tough negotiating.
They represent thuggery. They do not represent our best selves and should not
find welcome in any public office.
