LIES HAVE AN EFFECT

Over months, I and many others have warned about the aftermath of so many Trump lies on the world.

This article, far from anti Trump addresses the fact that the world is beginning to see our country as one who has shut our eyes to reality and embraces, through the White House, alternate facts.

It is something to be concerned about. Trust is the cornerstone of any relationship, and we need the trust of the world.


Cut to the strikes in Syria, which were legal, proportional, and a sensible response to Assad’s flagrant use of chemical weapons. Unfortunately, they are seen in certain parts of the globe through the dark lens created by months of what might charitably be described as confusion and misstatements, but what many observers have now branded as “alternative facts.” This hits the Administration in the three principal audiences for the strategic signal represented by the strikes: the people of the United States, who already suffer from a bad case of “Middle East fatigue;” our friends around the world, upon whom we will depend to build a coalition to ultimately bring down Assad; and our enemies, who are spring-loaded to disbelieve us anyway. In all three strategic communications target zones, our shredded credibility is insufficient to create real belief. And here’s the key: in the end, deterrence is the result of capability (which we demonstrably possess) and credibility, which is so badly damaged. Can we recover?

Donald Trump, Russia, Syria and Lies Versus Facts | Time.com