Trump’s country is burning and the world is watching. America’s race problem calls for an attitudinal change

The US military is used to walking into burning cities and restoring order. However, it is rare that it has done the same in its own cities. With many major cities in America now in the midst of yet another racial crisis that has precipitated riots, several  States and the US Federal Government have seen the need to get troops onto the streets to restore order. For a country that “exports” democracy to the world and ostensibly fights for freedom, this is a poor picture. But clearly, America has been heading down this road for years, thanks to growing inequity. The riots, following the brutal murder of a Black man, George Floyd, by an American police officer, have brought up how the American police and judicial system have systematically abused minorities. Other than a few multicultural urban areas where reforms have been enacted, attitudes and procedures are often a few decades old. And sending troops out onto the streets might help get a semblance of order back to them but it will not change the underlying issues. In fact, it might even make them worse with the US heading for another round of presidential elections later this year. Particularly,  US President Donald Trump has been wanting to appeal to his supporters by bringing back law and order.

However, it would be prudent for the US to understand that this is not a “good look” for it. Simply because several other nations in the world look up to it. Seeing police in riot gear and highly militarised forces on the streets will not only give demagogues elsewhere in the world little pause for thought before indulging in their own violent reprisals. It will also weaken the case for democratic governments with Chinese politicians showing American anarchy as a contrast to their own vision of the world. That said, America’s race problem cannot be solved overnight. It cannot be eliminated with some executive orders, Constitutional amendments or judicial orders. It will need a change in attitude, one which is deep-rooted. But for now, the way police arrests individuals, particularly by forcing them down with their knees on the neck, must change pronto. The rest is a process that must start from the White House downwards.