Dhaka, Aug. 8 -- The image of US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland was of no mere handshake sealing a trade deal. It was a symbol of the Trump administration's historic rupture with American history and America's guiding principles - a rupture with profound consequences for the global economy and international security.

From Europe, it is strange to watch a country which, for 249 years, has loudly proclaimed its reliance on the concept of "we the people" - the opening words of the US Constitution - suddenly abandon faith in its own institutions as the country's legitimately elected leader rapidly dismantles them.

But just blaming Trump for America's...