Daily Times

Gstaad, Switzerland: In this Swiss wintry wonderland, the first major snows are still expected. Not quite Davos in attracting the political elite once a year for its renowned World Economic Forum, still, plenty of the rich and not always famous, have residences or holidays here. Over dinners, lunches and extended conversations during the past week, with few Americans present, the portrait of America they painted was not a good one.

Analysis by anecdote has its limitations. Yet, the opinions and criticisms of the United States were remarkable in their similarity and tone of sadness and even despair as if mourning for a deceased friend. The theme was how far America has descended from its once-dominant position as a global leader.

Of course, Europeans have always been accused by America of holding a double standard towards us even though the US has twice come to Europe’s rescue in war than to prevent Soviet encroachment.

One leading European banker reminded me of the reaction of France’s President Charles de Gaulle to proof of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba during those “Thirteen Days,” of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. “Please tell the President, I do not need to see the intelligence. I take his word.”

The banker then politely asked: “Why would anyone take the word of your president today or trust the United States to honour its commitments if you were Ukraine or Israel and your Congress scurried off like scared mice for the holidays?”

Europeans have always been accused by America of holding a double standard towards us.

Another student of history wistfully compared Lincoln, two Roosevelts and Eisenhower with Bush ’43, Obama, Trump and Biden to make his point about the state of American leadership. And then, unable to control himself, he launched a tirade against the former president who is facing nearly 100 indictments and four major criminal trials.

Joe Biden did not escape equally harsh evaluation as Trump with one exception. Among this admittedly small group, all were incredulous as to how Trump was elected in the first place let alone is currently leading in the polls. None dissented that Trump should never be allowed to hold public office again.

A repeated and depressing question asked was how the US presidential elections could likely be a rerun of 2020. Was it true, several enquired, that a majority of Americans did not support this choice? And were both political parties as broken as it appeared from afar?

Although one or two were older than Biden and seemed more youthful and physically fit than the president, in his case, his seemed disqualifying. One non-American lady who created an NGO twenty-five years ago to protect women’s rights and prevent sexual abuse asked why the vice president was such a failure in completing any assignment. Perhaps, she speculated, that Kamala Harris’ inability to speak proper English was the cause of her problems. And, then, she deftly slipped her metaphorical stiletto into the conversation observing “But possibly Kamala was the best you had to offer.”

Questions about Congress centred on why so many of its members’ behaviour could be so bizarre. Marjory Taylor Green became the magnifying glass for examining Congress. And none could understand why it took so long to expel George Santos from the House after he lied on virtually all aspects of his life.

Foreign policy was problematic. That America could ignore or tolerate Prime Minister Netanyahu’s de facto policy of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza seemed a violation of all of the basic rights and values the US once advanced. How could the US accept the killing of so many Palestinian non-combatants and the use of indiscriminate bombing that might constitute war crimes? Except for a few Muslim members of Congress did anyone support the Palestinians on Capitol Hill? And for those pro-Palestinians, did any understand the differences between the role and power of Hamas and Gazans?

On this list of complaints and critiques was a broader concern bordering on genuine fear. With the wars in Ukraine and Gaza ongoing, the demonization of China and the growing animosity towards Iran, was a possible escalation from a localized to a global conflict now a major danger. After all, who in America was rational or capable enough to prevent such a catastrophe or stop all the domestic forces from acting rashly

That is the detritus from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq and from the vicissitudes, a future Trump administration threatens. THE recurring question posed by many of America’s friends and not only in Europe is this. Is America anymore a trustworthy and reliable leader? And that should distress us greatly.

The writer is a senior advisor at Washington, DC’s Atlantic Council and a published author.