Page 15 - CSA Speaker Bulletin September 2016 | CSA Celebrity Speakers
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US ELECTIONS

The Most Important
Election In A Lifetime?

JAMES RUBIN

When politicians say that                  The alternative, a President Hillary    military, economic and political.
               an upcoming election        Rodham Clinton, would mean for          Given the remarkable resilience of
               is the most important       the first time in history, a group      the American economy, such an
 in their lifetime, they are usually       of women will be at the center of       extension of U.S. power should not be
 exaggerating. In the case of this         events, as Clinton joins the female     regarded as an undue burden. Above
 November’s U.S. election, however,        British Prime Minister, the female      all, this prominent group declared
 it is no exaggeration to say the          German Chancellor, the female head      that the times demand a new and
 stability of the civilized world and the  of the IMF, and maybe even a female     strengthened leadership role for the
 leadership of the United States really    Secretary General of the United         United States.
 does hang in the balance.                 Nations. A Clinton Presidency would
                                           also entail more forceful American      With the Russia of Vladimir Putin
 Historians will spend years trying to     leadership in world affairs.            challenging the rules-based order that
 figure out how a shady real estate                                                so many cherish, and with China’s
 marketer and sometime reality             Along with the diplomatic scholar       new assertiveness in the South
 TV huckster managed to become             Robert Kagan, over the last year, I     China Sea and elsewhere, no doubt
 the Republican Party’s nominee.           chaired a high level task force of top  stronger American leadership is sorely
 While most prominent Republicans          officials from previous Republican      needed in the coming years. More
 emphasize the need for a strong           and Democratic administrations. We      immediately, with instability in the
 international role led by a President     all agreed that despite the popularity  Middle East now affecting the political
 whose personal dignity is beyond          of retrenchment during the Obama        and economic future of Europe, there
 question, Donald Trump’s promises         years, Washington should reverse        will be no shortage of challenges for a
 and personality threaten core             course. It should not choose to         new U.S. administration. And that’s
 principles Republicans have advocated     retreat in the face of new and more     why the whole world will be watching
 for decades. Whether it is repudiating    difficult international challenges,     closely when Americans finally choose
 critical defense commitments of the       but instead the course of wisdom        their next President on that first
 NATO alliance, cozying up to the          is to extend American power and         Tuesday in November. n
 Kremlin, or threatening to tear up        influence to deal with a more complex
 trade agreements in Europe and Asia,      international environment.              James Rubin is former US Assistant
 the evidence is overwhelming that                                                 Secretary of State for Public
 a Trump Presidency would do grave         Furthermore, the group urged the        Affairs and Advisor on Politics and
 damage.                                   new administration to strengthen        International Affairs.
                                           all elements of American power,

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