Trump advisers spark concerns

Prejudiced remarks by members of the new president’s team must not inform policy

As Donald Trump starts to piece together his incoming administration, nervous watchers inside and outside the United States have sought to glean clues as to what that administration might do by looking at the personnel he has chosen. Mr Trump has never held political office – indeed, to his supporters, that was part of his attraction. On the campaign trail he said things that were not only undiplomatic, but were at odds with decades of established political norms. As he began to assemble a team, there were hopes that he would surround himself with more mature and tested advisers, and that some of the worst of the racism and misogyny of the campaign could be consigned to grubby politicking.

Unfortunately, that seems unlikely to happen. The choices so far of Steve Bannon as chief strategist, Jeff Sessions as attorney general and Michael Flynn as national security adviser mean that Mr Trump will be surrounded by people whose views on important topics are not only far outside the mainstream, but who have supported positions espousing conspiracies against Muslims and Jews, and discrimination against African-Americans and women.

Of particular note is Mr Flynn, who has in the past made barely coherent statements against Islam, saying “fear of Muslims is rational” and lumping all Muslims into the same category as extremists. These views would be worrying from anyone; but if translated into policy, they could have profound implications for American Muslims, people around the world, and the alliances of the United States itself.

The response from moderate Americans must be immediate. They must stand up and condemn such comments, whenever they are made. Muslim countries around the world must also pressure the US to ensure such ideas do not find their way into policy. These backward steps could do profound damage to America itself and to its relationships with Muslim nations. These alliances are more important than any one president and cannot be jeopardised because of ignorant ideas about a complex world.