Frederic B. Hill James E. Goodby

The U.S. has been blessed with leaders who inspired us and the world with their vision, their purpose, their sense of history and commitment to international rules. In the cauldron of the Cold War, John F. Kennedy stood in Berlin and declared “I am a Berliner” in a compelling speech that let the Soviet Union know that the United States and the Western democracies would not be cowed by Soviet threats and tanks.

Ronald Reagan spoke eloquently about America as a shining city on a hill, challenging us to set an example for democracies and dictatorships, challenging Soviet leaders to “tear down” the Berlin Wall.

George H.W. Bush oversaw the potentially explosive collapse of the Soviet Union and its empire with restraint, and shrewdly negotiated German reunification. Franklin Roosevelt reminded the country in the midst of the Great Depression that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Despite facing partisan gridlock, President Barack Obama regularly appealed to our better nature.

With exceptions, we have been fortunate to have leaders who inspired us to new heights and led a partnership of nations in a troubled world. They spoke of American exceptionalism, of America as the “indispensable nation.” American presidents generally observed the Declaration of Independence plea to “respect the opinions of mankind.”

Today, we have in Donald J. Trump a rude, reckless and thin-skinned president who, with both tweet-driven comments and decisions, is doing his best to turn this great country into what former Irish president Mary Robinson views as “a rogue state.”

A few examples of Trump’s erratic behavior suggest the U.S., under a Trumpian administration, no longer intends to remain within the network of rules and norms that define relationships among