Mr. President, Globalism Isn't an Ideology, It's Just Simple Reality

Our President was laughed at yesterday, appropriately, but that wasn't the worst part of his speech to the United Nations. His nationalist nonsense is tiresome and silly as he rails against the "ideology of globalism" as if it's a religion or choice in music. Globalism is simply the definition we give to the process of our world shrinking day by day as technology, trade, travel and so much more ties us more tightly together as neighbors on this planet. It's not an ideology, its the recognition of reality, a clear-eyed view of our future.

That is not to say that the President couldn't slow the process of globalization or steer us to the side of the road as the world spins by us. Certainly some of his supporters would like to return to America's isolationist past, build a wall, increase tariffs, turn away immigrants and refugees, and slowly wither on the world stage. We would be replaced, of course, like all great powers have in the past, by nations with leaders who understand and embrace change and imagine the opportunities it provides.

So, Mr. President, you can seek to be the leader of an increasing interconnected world or you can fight a rear-guard action to slow it down, but you won't turn back the clock for long, and America will pay a steep price for your reticence. And the world needs the United States to lead efforts to address the myriad issues which are global in scale like climate change, cyber warfare, refugee assistance, Syria, cleaning up our oceans, an updated space treaty, prosecuting genocide, and so many others.

Mr. President, the world laughed at you yesterday because they have seen so many other American leaders before you use that same UN stage to inspire and unite the world. And UN members don't laugh at the leader of the free world casually, but you used that stage to brag and threaten. You not only made the presidency seem smaller, less consequential, you made America seem that way too.

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