President Trump Wages War on Government and Expertise, and Our Institutions Surrender; by Masha Gessen

" If American institutions are unable to contain the ignoramus who is smashing the country’s laws and abrogating its commitments, foreign leaders and diplomats have to accept that which we have made normal, and put a good face on it. Consider two recent, unrelated events: the Supreme Court order that cleared the way for extreme restrictions on the right to seek asylum,  useing a tool that ought to be reserved for emergencies, without evidence or justification. Also, the  appointment of a thirty-year-old administrative assistant--with no foreign-policy experience save for perhaps scheduling appointments and bringing coffee to the negotiation table--  as the United States’ new envoy to the Middle East.