As if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was not happy enough with the idea of putting immigrants through religious tests, he has now suggested canceling visitors’ visas for people who come from countries with a history of sending terrorists and proposing tests of ideologies for migrants. Ideology tests would include questions about freedom of religion, equality of genders and the rights of gay people. The social media of candidates would be reviewed. Interviews would be conducted with families and friends. Applicants would be tested to determine their stance regarding the values of tolerance and pluralistic living, as supportive of the values of Americans.
Contrary to what now appears to be a slant toward liberalism, Trump has a history of ideologies that are anything but liberal minded. He would likely fail the same test that he proposes. Trump has a history of categorizing Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers, from the very beginning of his campaign. He has accused a Mexican federal judge of bias. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, as well as Neo-Nazis have endorsed him. He openly attacked a deceased Muslim war hero’s family. He has been in two lawsuits for not renting to black people. Trump has suggested that the media be repressed by the government. Supporters of Trump have devised an online app that attacks Jewish journalists. He started the stir about President Obama being allegedly a secret Muslim from Kenya. He proposed that Muslims be required to have identifying marks, similar to what Nazis did to the Jews. He proposed that Muslims not be allowed to enter the United States. Trump has supporters who have continually assault non-whites.
Trump proposed foreign policy plays into the fears of his supporters. He would like foreign policy to be dedicated to the destruction of Islamic terrorism and asking for any nation which is willing to play a supportive role to be an ally. He suggests that this comes from the philosophy of recognizing enemies since we cannot choose our friends, as Trump’s policy advisor, Stephen Miller, a known racist, communicated. This has been disturbing as it is not only something that Josef Goebbels would communicate. It also affects the power of extremist radicals such as ISIS or ISIL, claimants that Island and Western civilization are not compatible. Susan Hasler, former CIA operative, called these radicals hateful in the way they respond and such proposals by Trump simply plays into their hands.
American foreign policy would also experience a strong shift that would have fostered the embrace of foreign dictators of a tyrannical nature. Such behaviors came forth during the administration of George W. Bush and his “Global War on Terror” and the results of this becoming the excuse, overall, for repression and internal violent acts. Protestors of a democratic nature were called terrorists. Political prisons would receive these people, never to be known again. Censoring of the press and the interest would be a Trump wish to be granted, something he has supported often. People who have looked at America as a nation of hope will find that it is a nation of refusal and despair.
Free speech and democracy would become things of the past under Trump’s leadership, begetting violence. Al-Qaeda would be strengthened by allies of oppressed separatists. An example of how this happens, even today, is Saudi Arabia’s firing of American manufactured bombs and jets to destroy Yemen’s Doctors Without Borders hospital. A school was recently destroyed, inevitably fostering hatred in the hearts of the children. Al-Qaeda will stand to recruit more followers as a result. Peaceful resolution will not be supported under Trump.