U

S citizens have the right to choose their president, but since the US has a global presence, others, like myself, feel we should voice our opinions as the US presidential election is about to take place at an important historical juncture with one extraordinary candidate: Donald Trump.

Globalization has brought about changes that were not always positive. The gap between social classes is widening. The middle class feels left out of globalization, and the poor have become poorer. Unemployment has gone up in many countries, especially in the EU, and those left behind by globalization did not get what should have been promised to them.

It is understandable that the underprivileged are upset. We have seen what has happened worldwide: Brexit in the UK, right-wing revival in Germany and France, and now the Trump phenomenon in the US.

Another by-product is narrow nationalism based on race, religion and ethnicity. Emigration, refugees and international terrorism are manifestations of those issues. These are the reasons why people are disenchanted with the existing, political and economic systems and want something different. Trump got their support, especially from white, blue-collar voters.

The main issue is whether or not Trump is fit to be the next US president. Throughout the campaign and debates, he has lacked understanding of the issues, changed his opinion, lied and denied his lies and disparaged women. He has been rude and arrogant.

In the third and last presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Trump called democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “a nasty woman” and said he might not accept the results of the election.

The US is a global leader and therefore should care about international opinion. With Trump, the world can fairly ask, what is happening in the US? If America is unwilling to be a global leader, anarchy and conflict could easily erupt in the future. If Trump is elected as US president, one thing will surely happen: US leadership will lose global respect.

By comparison, Clinton, whatever her failings, is a known personality among the international community. Her foreign policies as Secretary of State are well known. One may agree or disagree with her, but these policies are there for all to see.

For example, she might be more assertive toward China, but then US-China relations have a multifaceted character, especially within economic and global issues, and competition in security, especially in East Asia. She is pro-free trade. She enjoys recognition at home and abroad as the most prepared to be the next US president, especially regarding international relations.

Between 1972 and 2010, I visited the US four times annually just to learn about US policies in Asia, which I thought highly of until the second Gulf War. Since then, I have sensed a US decline, and now I feel grave disappointment.

My critical views and disenchantment with the US began roughly a decade ago. I sincerely hope that Trump does not get elected because if he is elected, I will be completely disenchanted by the future of the US. I know countless others share my sentiment.
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The writer is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the CSIS Foundation, Jakarta. This article will be published in Forbes Indonesia Magazine monthly, November 2016.