The irony is not lost: Hong Kong pro-democracy demonstrators waved the American flag and sang the "Star Spangled Banner" last week.
Its a strong reminder that the American dream of freedom and a government by the people, of the people and for the people is still so strong in countries under authoritarian rule.
The demonstrators are protesting the transitioning of the former British colony's democratic form of government to one under the thumb of communist Beijing. We should also mention that some demonstrators sang "God Save the Queen," irking local government officials and those loyal to China.
Ironically, the US under Donald Trump would certainly disappoint the demonstrators' belief in America as the best example of a free and open government. Once the beacon of freedom and the leader of the free world, Trump has taken the US into an isolationist position and he has refused to condemn China.
It is easy to see why Trump would rather walk away and turn his back on the world because he has no answer to the bevy of international crises that his administration is facing: The Iran deal going kaput, the possibility of the war in Yemen spreading, the tension growing between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, the continuing protests against fixed elections in Russia, the economic collapse of Venezuela, the rising tension in the China Sea where China has taken over islands also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, Europe's economy on the verge of collapse and the sword rattling by North Korea against South Korea, Japan and the US.
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