Is the US still the moral police of today’s world?

This week’s inaugural visit of US President Donald Trump on the world stage will baffle those who have looked to the America to provide moral clarity. Over the years, people have looked at the US and sometimes wondered at what looked like a contradiction. Consequently, in a world mired in moral quagmire, it helps to have a few loud voices who seem to know what they are doing.

Over the years those few voices have provided inspiration and drive to forces of moderation and social and moral progress elsewhere in the world. In Africa, for example, long saddled by leaders insensitive to people’s needs, steeped in corrupt ways and not looking beyond their families’ interests; progressive forces have looked to the US for a voice of reason and moral muscle to nudge their leaders to paths of reform.