Rev. John D. Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.

Imagine a powerful wealthy nation being a courageous world leader, extending a hand of peace toward an enemy nation, toward an economic competitor nation or toward a nation with critical needs. The United States has had the potential to be that great nation.

For example, forty years ago the U. S. Institute of Peace, USIP, was founded as a congressionally-funded independent nonprofit that works to advance U.S. values in conflict resolution, ending wars and promoting good governance. The country has reached out in other ways. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms. The United States has also been a contributor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestine refugees in the Near East.

Recently, however, the Trump administration has essentially withdrawn the hand of peace from nations with critical needs.

It has banned funding for UNRWA, drastically reduced the staff of USIP and compromised its leadership and eliminated more than 90% of the U.S.A.I.D. foreign aid contracts. According to the Associated Press, $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world has been eliminated from the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explains, “We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens.” That is to say, the motivation for aid is not, ‘How we can help?’ but, ‘What’s in it for us?’ At the same time, the White House website explains, “Through restoring the U.S. military’s mission of lethality and leading with peace through strength in his foreign policy, President Trump is making good on his commitment to restore safety and security around the world.”

The United States is seeking to be the greatest nation by increasing the military budget and building an advanced nuclear arsenal. These actions destroy any trust in the United States. The government can posture with an offer to shake hands with a country that agrees with U.S. policy. Handshakes are a 3000-year-old tradition conveying peaceful intentions among armed men. Extending the right hand with an open palm and shaking your hand up and down was a way to demonstrate that there were no weapons hidden up your sleeve.

Leaders from other countries are not fools. They are aware that shaking hands with the U.S. means the administration could shake out of its sleeve a policy of withdrawing from commitments, of truth found only in the administration’s perception, repetitive lies and devisive ways to filch wealth from others.

However, there is another way. The United States has the ability to build trust and cooperation with other nations. David Brooks of the New York Times has observed, “Great nations throughout the history of Western civilization have been crossroads nations. They have been places where people from all over met, exchanged ideas and came up with new ones together.” Brooks continues, with a quotation from an essay in Foreign Affairs called “America’s Edge,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter. “She argued that power in the 21st century would accrue to nations that put themselves in the center of networks, and that America was well suited to play that role. We have a diverse populace with global connections, alliances across two great oceans, the greatest universities with large foreign student bodies.”

To give these truths life, it will be important to build a network of relationships in our neighborhoods, first by rejecting the inevitability of the polarization we feel and that is being hyped by the Trump followers. Recognize that indeed we are a people from all around the world with the ability to exchange ideas and come up with new ways. Our well-being does not depend upon demonizing those who are different. It depends upon privileged people communicating to others our concern for their wellbeing.

The list is long but includes scientists, people of color, immigrants, LHGBT+ people, the economically disadvantaged, the sick, university students and foreign students, and others who have been marginalized. Building supportive caring relationships can overcome self-center attitudes. As more supportive relationships are experienced and become more common, the more inappropriate the government policies of hegemony will feel.

Wouldn’t it be amazing, if our United States of America became recognized as the great nation of its potential – a place where national leaders are welcome to gather “to exchange ideas and come up with new ones together.” What a handshake that would be!