Changes in US unsettling

Changes in US unsettling

There was a time when I used to look to the US for inspiration. It was the one place that beckoned.

It always seemed to have welcoming arms. Its Statue of Liberty is a symbol of a new beginning for migrants as they approach its shores.

Now I am not sure.

For me, a third-generation Singaporean for whom maturity has set in, I am thankful for the stable and sensible home I was born into.

This is reinforced when I look at the issues that have cropped up in Europe, and now America.

But for many others from countries where circumstances are dire, the US remains their next stop and final hope for a better life, though this may be receding now.

The US was always the standard-bearer of humanitarianism.

It fought hard not just for human welfare, but for people to have the right to choose and be able to express themselves.

But now as it turns inwards, it leaves humanity unsure and exposed.

For a country that has led the way since the Second World War, this change in attitude is unsettling, and makes for an uncertain future that concerns us all.

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This article was first published on Feb 3, 2017.
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