L
ast week in Helsinki
with the whole world
watching,
President
Donald Trump enthusias-
tically renounced any last
semblance
of
presidential
demeanor
he
possessed,
yielding to one of America’s
greatest foes with seeming
indifference. Beside adver-
sarial strongman and Rus-
sian
President
Vladimir
Putin, Trump issued a stun-
ning rebuke of all 17 U.S.
intelligence agencies and an
emphatic denial of Putin’s
chicanery
in
the
same
breath, an act appropriately
chastised as the most embar-
rassing presidential perfor-
mance in recent memory
(even after his post-summit
statement
that
supposed-
ly “clarifies things pretty
good”).
In absolving himself of the
president’s paternal obliga-
tion to stand firmly against
national
enemies,
Trump
went one step too far, even
in a presidency where mis-
rule is the norm. It is not
just that Russia’s interests
often run afoul of our own –
its regime routinely violates
the human rights of journal-
ists and other political dissi-
dents, is engaged in a lengthy
and brutal proxy war with
the United States, illegally
annexed sovereign Ukrai-
nian territory in an affront
to post-Cold War rules and
order, and more than any-
thing maliciously interfered
in the most sacred of Ameri-
can political institutions.
Other than the obvious con-
clusion that Putin returned
from Helsinki emboldened
to embark on his next sinis-
ter pursuit, the Trump-Putin
summit made clear there are
only three possible explana-
tions for the chief executive’s
stunt.
First, Trump is irretriev-
ably ignorant of the intrica-
cies of foreign affairs and is
equally impervious to the
attempts of those around
him to roll back his per-
sonalist approach to world
leaders. Second, Trump has
been
personally
compro-
mised by Putin (surely a long
shot, between the honest
authoritarian and the sexu-
ally wholesome frequenter
of Russia), and will not hesi-
tate to protect himself at the
expense of the United States.
Third, Trump is even more
selfish and psychologically
fragile than previously imag-
ined, and desires more than
anything to indulge his ego
in his 2016 presidential elec-
tion victory – even if feeding
the narrative that his Her-
culean feat was unassisted
comes at the cost of elevating
a dictator’s word above that of
U.S. intelligence officials. Or
some combination of them.
Accepting any of the expla-
nations for Trump’s behavior
only demands the belief that
Trump’s
well-documented
narcissism is so overcoming as
to blind him to the best inter-
ests of the country he governs
– not a stretch by most stan-
dards. For a figure as poorly
versed in public service and
foreign policy as Trump, the
shameful display in Helsinki
may alternately be explained
by the president’s inadequa-
cy with regard to executive
statesmanship as much as it is
by his lack of commitment to
the public.
Regardless of the expla-
nation, Trump’s uniquely
deleterious statements made
unequivocally obvious his
woeful inability to perform
the basic duties of a world
leader. Therefore, Congress
should
objectively
have
no qualms in considering
impeachment; a sparingly
used tool that, according
to constitutional architect
George Mason, was afforded
to Congress as a “mode of
displacing an unfit magis-
trate.” America’s ability to
remove an unfaithful and/
or severely incapable execu-
tive in the direst of circum-
stances remains, however,
intertwined with the politics
of the lawmakers to which it
is entrusted.
It is unsurprising, then,
that even after the summit
fiasco, the Republican-dom-
inated House and Senate
have so far distanced them-
selves from anything close
to calls for Trump’s removal.
This congressional inaction
is what one would expect,
of course, in a country fur-
ther removed from apoliti-
cal unity than ever, perhaps.
For Trump’s hegemonic base,
unwavering in its loyalty to
figure above ideology or even
state,
Trump’s
blundering
betrayal is nothing more than
the next hill on which to die
in the culture wars, and any
serious critics in Washington
will be met with fire and fury
accordingly.
4
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
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Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
T
his is part one in a two-
part series on an experi-
ence abroad in Chile.
Living in Chile this past
month has served as a remind-
er of the significance of my
social identity as a U.S. citizen
and a woman, the implications
of which can be something I
tend to take for granted.
Before attending the Uni-
versity of Michigan, I lived in
Peru for a year, and my experi-
ences there left me with mixed
emotions towards this part
of my identity. At times, I was
grateful for being born in the
U.S. and all the advantages the
“lottery of birth” had bestowed
upon me. At other times, I
wished I was not at all associat-
ed with the U.S. because of the
negative reactions I would get
from people when they realized
my citizenship. Peru was a long
time ago and I never really real-
ized how important my identity
as a U.S. citizen was in shaping
my experience abroad until I
returned to South America once
again for a three-month intern-
ship in Chile.
My Spanish was much bet-
ter this time around when I
arrived in Chile than it was
when I first arrived in Peru, so
I blended in better and was able
to even pass as Chilean at times.
Now, when I see other tourists
or people passing through who
speak in poor Spanish with
heavy American accents, I find
myself making assumptions
about them as well. I have been
there and I understand the dif-
ficulty of trying to survive in a
foreign country with a different
language and culture, but I also
understand why I stood out as
a foreigner so much during my
first few months in Peru. I am
still the same girl from Min-
nesota, but I also feel like the
language and culture of South
America are becoming greater
parts of my identity as well—so
much so that it is hard for me
to identify with travelers from
North America who I happen
to meet in passing. This new
realization is exciting for me
as I can honestly say that I am
fully assimilated here in South
America and that I even feel at
home.
One big difference between
my time in Peru and my time
in Chile is that here in Chile I
am not reminded constantly
of my identity as a woman as
I was in Peru, due to a variety
of different reasons. In Peru,
I was always cautioned about
leaving the house alone and was
often harassed on the streets,
at university and, at times, at
home because I was a woman.
One of the cultural norms in
Peru is that women, especially
younger women, do not leave
the house except to go to school
or if they are accompanied by a
male. This norm is not without
grounds as gender violence
towards women is a huge
issue in Peru, as in many parts
of South America, and most
parents see preventing their
daughters from leaving the
house as a way to protect them.
Women are also expected to
contribute more in terms of
chores. They cook, clean, wash
the laundry and often take
care of their younger siblings.
However, teen boys spend their
time out with friends and are
hardly ever required to help
with housework, and they are
expected to act macho or “like a
man.” Boys in their early teen-
age years have more freedom
than some women have in their
entire lifetime. I was very for-
tunate to have incredible host
moms in all my host families
who made it possible for me
to have more freedom during
my time in Peru by advocating
for me at my university and at
home, an advantage that many
fellow female exchange stu-
dents and Peruvian friends did
not have. As someone who grew
up in an environment in which
I always felt I was treated as
equal to men, living in a place
in which your sex very much
defines you was an unpleasant
shock that left me angry and
even scared at times.
ETHAN KESSLER | COLUMN
EMMA CHANG
Editorial Page Editor
EMMA RICHTER
Managing Editor
Emma Chang
Joel Danilewitz
Samantha Goldstein
Elena Hubbell
Emily Huhman
Tara Jayaram
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Magdalena Mihaylova
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Alex Satola
Ali Safawi
Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
ASIF BECHER
Editor in Chief
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
KATHRYN TESKE| WOLVERINES ABROAD
To travel means to never stop learning
Kathryn Teske can be reached at
katmate@umich.edu.
Defaulting on leadership
Continue reading on page 5.