The United States is at an important turning point. Founded on principles of globalization, our country has instead become more insular than ever. The past decade has seen a significant erosion of these founding principles in favor of nativism, xenophobia and religious nationalism, culminating in President Trump’s second election on an unusually authoritarian and intolerant platform.
President Trump has already made no secret of his disdain for the outside world. Just a month into his second term, he has already threatened Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs and ordered the dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development. The “America First” philosophy that has defined his political career now clearly permeates the federal government.
Trump’s first term was not exactly easy for our global reputation, either. Whether it was withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement or openly questioning America’s commitment to defending its NATO allies, members of the global community grew to distrust American commitments. But his latest moves are a significant step above those of his first term, and we have now reached an important fork in the course of our history: whether to continue our legacy of globalization, or abandon that in favor of insularity.
Trump is no isolationist in the traditional sense. His somewhat outrageous plan to take over Gaza, for example, indicates that he still holds a degree of interest in foreign affairs. But what is unprecedented is the sheer recklessness and disregard he has shown for our allies in favor of perceived American interests. It is now our responsibility to combat these isolationist attitudes by ensuring that we stay informed and connected with the rest of the world.
These patterns of insularity are not particularly unique to the United States. From Austria to Argentina, far-right isolationism and nativism have seen a significant surge across the democratic world. But in light of our unique history, the United States has far too much to lose by embracing such an agenda.
More so than any other country, America has much to thank foreigners for. From the Chinese migrant laborers who built the transcontinental railroad to the German settlers who cultivated the Midwestern plainlands and made it our breadbasket, the history of the United States will always be inextricably linked to immigrants who built a new home for themselves here. The American spirit of openness in welcoming those from all around the world has catapulted us from an isolated economic backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential countries in less than three centuries’ time.
Trump’s domestic and foreign policies are therefore fundamentally incompatible with our history. Time has shown again and again that this country is at its best when we embrace immigrants and work together with allies in combating global issues like refugee crises or HIV prevention. There is nothing inherently wrong with prioritizing American issues, but Trump’s proposals come at the direct cost of abandoning the values that have preserved this country’s prosperity.
As we face this latest wave of nativism, we must remember how easily history is often forgotten. It may sound ridiculous now, but the rise of Holocaust denial in European countries like Belgium illustrate this truth. During times of great political upheaval, history is often intentionally disregarded or downplayed — so we must actively combat this at the individual level. As Brown students, we are in the privileged position of having access to a global education, and it is our responsibility to make use of it to oppose the growing nationalist movement in our country.
As someone born outside this country, I assure you that there is always something new to be learned. Although we are limited in our ability to change national policy as college students, our generation will soon have its turn to shape this country’s story. But that doesn’t mean we have to wait until then to take action. We will only conquer the challenges of our times by working together and learning from other cultures. Even small actions like befriending a fellow student from a foreign country or taking a class in foreign history goes a long way towards keeping this country tolerant and free.
Lucas Guan’27 can be reached at lucas_guan @brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
