The rise of authoritarianism -- and Trump's enthusiastic support of it

The New York Times' conservative op-ed columnist, Bret Stephens, raises an interesting question about the nations that support the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad.   What unites North Korea, Russia, Iran, and China, he asks?

North Korea tried to supply Syria with a nuclear reactor, but Israel destroyed it in 2007;  there have also been suspicions that N.K. is supplying Assad with chemical weapons.   Russia obviously is giving them air power and air cover.  China has designs on cashing in when it comes time to rebuild this war-destroyed country, as they have done throughout much of Africa and Middle East countries.   And then there's Iran, which has supplied Assad with his most effective ground troops through their support of Hezbollah.

But what do these four countries have in common that links them?, Stephens asks.  "Why should a Shiite theocrat, a Russian kleptocrat, a Korean gourmand, and Chinese son of heaven unite so openly to rescue a foul and feeble Baathist dictatorship?

"The question isn't asked often enough," Stephens writes.  "None of them share a border, a language, a religion, or a political ideology with Assad.   And each has paid a price for meddling. . . . 

"Then again, there are interests that go beyond lives and money.   Some of these are relatively narrow.  Iran wants to maintain the so-called Shiite crescent.  Russia hopes to use its position in Syria to bargain for concessions over Ukraine.   China wants to rebuild Syria when it's all over.  North Korea is just sinister.

"But there is also the collective interest of Dictatorship, Inc."

Stephens then discusses the rise of dictatorships worldwide, and especially in these countries.   China's Communist Party has just voted to eliminate term limits on its president, so Xi Jinping can now potentially serve for life.   Russia has an upcoming election that no one expects to be open and fairly democratic.   Critics and opponents to Putin have a bad habit of turning up dead or in prison.   North Korea has no pretense of democracy, and the Iranian theocrats are the supreme power in Iran.

Besides these, Stephens mentions two fundamental interests these countries have in keeping Assad in power.

1.  "To see a popular rebellion fail spectacularly."    This is fundamental to Dictatorrship, Inc.  -- to show their people that resistance is futile.

2,  "To underscore America's unreliability as a credible ally and serious enforcer of global norms."

Stephens says:  "Whatever their differences, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China are all revisionist powers.  What they want to revise, or erase, is Pax Americana.  In Syria, they had an ally, a cause, and a probable outcome.  America, by contrast, only had the bonfire of its ambivalence.  The result, beyond the humanitarian catastrophe, has been a reputational catastrophe, as the U.S. demonstrated that it would not back its local allies, or seriously enforce norms against the use of chemical weapons, or devise and implement a strategy compatible with our stated policy. . . . 

"We could do something to reverse our reputation for unreliability . . . . [but] That requires an administration capable of devising, coordinating and executing a consistent military and diplomatic strategy.   We don't have one.

"It requires a president who understands the benefits of Pax Americana, doesn't think of foreign policy as a series of gimmes, is capable of rallying allies in a common cause, and understands that our liberal values are the great prerequisite for our global leadership.   We don't have one.

"Above all, it requires a belief in what used to be called the free world:   of its shared moral principles, broad interests, and long-term aspirations.  We don't have that either."

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More than those lacks, we have a president who admires strong-men dictators, like Putin, Xi, Erdogan, el SiSi, Duterte, and the emerging autocrats in Hungary and Poland.   And pay attention to Trump's response to the news out of China that President Xi can now have an unlimited number of terms.   Here's what President Trump said about that:

"He's now president for life, president for life.    And he's great.    And look, he was able to do that.   I think it's great.  Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday," Trump said, as his supporters cheered.

Ralph