Global Diplomacy and US recent events: What Trump and His Mob Taught the World About America - Anne Applebaum

And yet by far the most important weapon that the United States of America has ever wielded—in defense of democracy, in defense of political liberty, in defense of universal rights, in defense of the rule of law—was the power of example. In the end, it wasn’t our words, our songs, our diplomacy, or even our money or our military power that mattered. It was rather the things we had achieved: the two and a half centuries of peaceful transitions of power, the slow but massive expansion of the franchise, and the long, seemingly solid traditions of civilized debate.

read more at: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/what-trump-and-his-mob-taught-world-about-america/617579/

Most world leaders express hope, relief after Biden win - by D. Billerand and J. LeicesterL

World leaders swiftly congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on his victory Saturday, cheering it as an opportunity to fortify global democracy and celebrating the significance of Americans having their first woman vice president.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump did not concede defeat, relief was a common theme expressed in many parts of the world to the news that his reelection bid had failed. Read more at: Most world leaders express hope, relief after Biden win

USA: 'Is This American-Style Civilization?': World Reacts To Presidential Debate

 The world was watching the U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday night, and what they saw was not pretty.

A "national humiliation," said the Guardian in the U.K. "Cacophonique," the Franceinfo news organization opined. The German public broadcaster DW assessed things far more bluntly. And Israel's leading TV anchor tweeted "condolences to America," writing, "It is hard to stoop lower than this."

Global reaction to the debate between President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden was largely similar to reactions in the U.S. But to many international observers, Tuesday's spectacle wasn't just unseemly; it represented an America in decline, eliciting pity in some cases, and in others, leading some to question whether democracy is a political system worth embracing.

Read more at: 
'Is This American-Style Civilization?': World Reacts To Presidential Debate : NPR

Global Reactions To US Protests: Alarm mixed with glee as world is glued to U.S. protest coverage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was first out of the block as protests began in Minneapolis, tweeting, “the racist and fascist approach that led to the death of George Floyd in the US city of Minneapolis as a result of torture has not only deeply saddened all of us, but it has also become one of the most painful manifestations of the unjust order we stand against across the world.” He went on to extend condolences to the family of George Floyd, promising to monitor the issue.

The Russian foreign ministry, meanwhile, took the chance Sunday to lecture the U.S. on media freedom after news outlets reported being targeted by police in the course of their work covering the protests in various cities. RIA Novosti correspondent Mikhail Turgiev was pepper sprayed in Minneapolis, prompting the ministry to express concern “about the increased number of police violence cases and unjustified detentions of journalists during their coverage of protests.” The ministry added: “we consider it unacceptable for US law enforcement officials to use special equipment — rubber bullets and tear gas — against media representatives after they present their press cards.”

Russia and China are also flooding social media with online propaganda targeting the ongoing unrest and violence in the United States, according to an analysis of recent Twitter posts by POLITICO.

Since May 30, government officials, state-backed media outlets and other Twitter users linked to either Beijing or Moscow have increasingly piggybacked on hashtags linked to Floyd, the Minnesota man whose death in police custody set off days of nationwide protests, to push divisive messages and criticize Washington's handling of the unfolding crisis.

Read more at: Alarm mixed with glee as world is glued to U.S. protest coverage - POLITICO