Unrest over race dismays US allies, delights enemies

Reputation of U.S. as the Western world’s foremost defender of freedom of speech and rule of law damaged

The massive street protests that have erupted across the United States since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have brought with them a range of reactions from abroad, from harsh criticism by longtime allies of American police violence to a growing movement of sister protests against racial injustice across the world.

From allies, one gets a sense that President Donald Trump’s years of lies and provocations have finally come back to roost for him.

“We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week after a remarkably long pause to a reporter’s question about the protests. “It is a time to pull people together but it is a time to listen, it is a time to learn what injustices continue, despite progress over years and decades.” Continue reading.