Barack Obama on Donald Trump, Russia, China in the Nelson Mandela Lecture – Quartz

At what was perhaps his biggest post-White House address, former President Barack Obama left for Nelson Mandela's annual conference in Johannesburg on July 17 to give free kicks to the United States. current administration. The strange and uncertain times in which we are, and they are weird, the new news cycles of each day bringing more head-spinning and worrisome headlines, I thought it would be useful for a moment and try to make sense of him. "[19659002] Without ever using his name, Obama then touched on the characteristics of the Donald Trump presidency that had indeed made these strange times." It was a day after Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki which had produced shocking statements and even more confusing rebuttals.

(Reuters / Siphiwe Sibeko)

It was a surprise, says Obama, that he even had to give lectures on the importance of the objective truth, but the facts were in dispute over such important issues as climate change.

You must believe in facts. Without facts, there is no basis for cooperation … can find a terra in agreement for those who oppose the Paris Agreements. For example, they may say that it will not work … or they can say that it is more important to provide cheap energy to the poor, even if it means more pollution. At least I can have a debate with them and I can show them why I think clean energy is the best way … I can not find any ground of understanding if someone says that climate change is only a hoax, it does not happen the world's scientists say that's it. I do not know how to talk to you about that. If you start saying that it's an elaborate hoax, I do not know what to do [trails off]. Where do we start?

And the rejection of the data:

You see it in the promotion of anti-intellectualism and rejection of the science of leaders who find critical thinking and badysis and data politically uncomfortable . But these are times when politicians have simply "invented things".

We see the total loss of shame among political leaders where they are caught in a lie and they are content to double and lie more. Politicians have always lied, but if you caught them lying, they would say, "Oh man." Now they're lying.

Sometimes these are simple things, I do not lie completely to people. pretty basic. I do not consider myself a good leader simply because I do not do things completely. I mean, you'd think it was just the baseline.

There were veiled comments about the character of current leadership and the political tone in the United States:

Do not you have a meaning sometimes, and again, I'm here in the process of to say that these people who have so much the intention to put people down and pump themselves that they are small [slight pause] in the heart?

And on the danger of concentrating wealth and political power:

When economic power is concentrated in the hands of a few, history also shows that political power is sure to follow and that this dynamic is eating away at democracy. Sometimes it can be pure and simple corruption. sometimes it does not involve the exchange of money, it is simply the rich people who get what they want.

Political choices were made, including the application of the rules of immigration that tore families apart.

We can enforce the law while respecting the essential humanity of those struggling for a better life, for a mother with her child in her arms, we can recognize that this could be someone in our family, it could be my child.

Outside the White House, Obama was not cluttered with diplomatic politeness and clashed with Russia, China, and the world's strongmen:

Russia:

Russia, already humiliated by its diminished influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union Democratic movements along its borders have suddenly begun to reaffirm authoritarian control and, in some cases, to meddle with its neighbors.

China:

China, encouraged by its economic success, has begun to criticize critically for its record on human rights. He considered that the promotion of universal values ​​was nothing other than foreign interference, imperialism under a new name

. Many developing countries now see China's model of authoritarian control combined with mercantilist capitalism as preferable to the disorder of democracy. Who needs freedom of speech as long as the economy is moving?

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