A leader ignorant of history misapprehends its tragedies. A president
steeped in grandiosity risks repeating them. Such is Donald Trump. In modern history’s cardinal disaster, virulent nationalism combined
with failed diplomacy and great power competition to ignite two
catastrophic world wars within 25 years, in turn precipitating a nuclear
arms race between America and the Soviet Union. In response, we
encouraged democratic partners in Europe and Asia to join us in
alliances like NATO, and global institutions like the United Nations and
WTO.
This model promoted democracy, free trade and shared strategic and economic interests rather than unconstrained nationalism – and, while imperfect, gave us seven decades of relative stability.
Now the global order is under attack
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Authoritarians squelch democracy. Populists scorn free trade. Resurgent
nationalism and tribalism hamstring international cooperation. These
threats come from all sides – including America’s president
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