America Cast Itself as the World's Moral Leader. Not Anymore
Over the past century, US foreign policy has been guided by the notion that as a country we'd do well by doing good—that there are dividends, both moral and material, from helping our friends and neighbors. Now the administration of President Donald Trump is unraveling that philosophy with startling speed. How other branches of the American government, countries and multinational companies respond in the months and years ahead will be the defining question of at least the rest of our lives.
America's practitioners of altruistic statecraft were famous for their high-minded ideals and soaring rhetoric. 'I need not tell you gentlemen that the world situation is very serious,' said Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947 to students at Harvard University, in a speech still replete with historical resonance. He was introducing the Marshall Plan, the program to rebuild the war-torn countries of Western Europe. 'It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
6 minutes ago
- CBS News
Fenway concession workers vote to authorize strike over stalled contract negotiations
Workers who staff the concession stands at Boston's Fenway Park have voted to authorize a strike, but are continuing to work for now. What the vote means Local 26 said it has been trying to negotiate a deal with Fenway's food contractor - Aramark - since the first of the year. The union's contract expired on December 31, 2024. According to the union, 95% of workers voted to authorise a strike during Sunday's vote. However, the workers have not yet walked out. The workers include about 700 cashiers, cooks, beer sellers and souvenir vendors. What do workers want? The union said key issues in the negotiations include wages, technology and scheduling. The workers contend they make less than $20 per hour, which is less than the major league standard. "We love working at Fenway. My co-workers and regular Red Sox fans are like my second family. But workers are underpaid, and increased automation is taking away jobs and cutting into our earnings," said Natalie Greening, a beer seller who started at Fenway when she was in high school and has worked at the stadium for 20 years. The union cited Marlins Park in Miami as an example, claiming that workers at the stadium earn $2.73 more per hour while a beer at the Florida ballpark costs $5.65 less than at Fenway. "Boston is a union town, and it's time to bring all Fenway workers' wages up to standard," said Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents the Fenway workers. "Local 26 hotel workers fought for, and won, $10-an-hour raises last year, and Local 26 university dining workers will be making a minimum of $30 an hour by 2028. There's no reason for Fenway workers to be left behind. They deserve raises and respect!"
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump: ‘It's possible' US becomes involved in Israel-Iran conflict
President Trump said 'it's possible' the United States becomes involved in the current conflict between Iran and Israel, ABC News reported Sunday. 'We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,' Trump told ABC News. ABC News also reported that Trump expressed interest in the possibility of mediation in the Iran-Israel conflict by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'I would be open to it. [Putin] is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,' Trump said, per ABC News. On Thursday overnight, Israel bombarded Iran, moving forward with its largest-ever military operation against its common Middle East rival and upending a push from President Trump for a nuclear deal with Iran. The U.S. attempted to quickly distance itself from the strikes, which killed some of Iran's top military leaders. However, Trump administration officials were reportedly briefed on plans prior to the strikes. 'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Thursday evening. 'Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners,' he added. The Hill has reached out to the White House for further comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stocks, dollar stay calm in Asia as oil rises
By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) -Asian markets kept their nerve on Monday and oil prices climbed anew as the conflict between Israel and Iran showed no sign of cooling, adding geopolitical uncertainty to the world's economic troubles in a week packed with central bank meetings. The escalation came just as Group of Seven leaders were gathering in Canada with U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs already straining ties. Yet there was no sign of panic among investors with currency markets calm and Wall Street stock futures steadying after an early dip. Oil did add 2% to last week's 13% surge in an inflationary pulse that, if sustained, should make the Federal Reserve even less likely to cut interest rates when it meets on Wednesday. Futures imply almost no chance of a reduction in the 4.25% to 4.5% rate band, and scant prospect of a move in July either. Markets will be particularly sensitive to any change in the Fed's "dot plot" path for rates. "The Committee will release a new set of economic forecasts, and we expect that the interest rate forecast 'dots', which last showed a median expectation of two cuts this year, will instead look for only one cut this year," said Michael Feroli, head of U.S. economics at JPMorgan. Markets are still wagering on two easings by December, with a first move in September seen as most likely. Data on U.S. retail sales on Tuesday will also be a hurdle, as a pullback in autos could drag the headline down even as core sales edge higher. A market holiday in Thursday, means weekly jobless claims figures are out on Wednesday. For now, investors were waiting on developments and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1%. Japan's Nikkei firmed 0.8% and South Korean stocks added 0.5%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% and Nasdaq futures gained 0.2%. European markets were more pressured by the region's reliance on oil imports and EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped 0.1%, while DAX futures lost 0.2%. FTSE futures were flat. Yields on 10-year Treasuries nudged up 1 basis point to 4.42%, showing little sign of safe haven demand. In currency markets, the dollar firmed 0.3% on the Japanese yen to 144.49, while the euro dipped 0.1% to $1.1537. The spike in oil prices is a negative for the yen and euro at the margin as both Japan and the EU are major importers of energy, while the United States is a net exporter. Currencies from oil exporters Norway and Canada both benefited, with the Norwegian crown hitting its highest since early 2023. Central banks in Norway and Sweden meet this week, with the latter thought likely to trim rates. The Swiss National Bank meets on Thursday and is considered certain to cut by at least a quarter point to take rates to zero, with some chance it may go negative given the strength of the Swiss franc. The Bank of Japan holds a policy meeting on Tuesday and is widely expected to hold rates at 0.5%, while leaving open the possibility of tightening later in the year. There is also speculation it could consider slowing the rundown of its government bond holdings from next fiscal year. In commodity markets, gold was getting the safe-haven bid from Mid-East tensions and rose 0.5% to $3,450 an ounce. [GOL/] Oil prices were underpinned by fears the Israeli-Iran conflict could spread and disrupt exports from the region, particularly through the vital Strait of Hormuz. [O/R] Brent climbed $1.11 to $75.34 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose $1.05 to $74.03 per barrel.
