“Daniel Russel, a former senior Obama administration official who dealt with Asia, said that American diplomats traditionally have been able to acknowledge U.S. struggles when dealing with foreign audiences. That dash of humility, however, was coupled with a sense of U.S. credibility – that America could be relied upon to help the oppressed in other countries as they fought for democracy, human rights and other ideals…
“‘The willingness of people in other countries to stand with you rests in large part on whether they believe that you stand for something,’ Russel said. ‘And if America’s moral standing is degraded, then its influence in countries like China will be degraded…'”