Emperor of America: The American president is the rarest of birds of prey. He detests much of the non–Anglo-Saxon world, one he has never shown much interest in understanding, but since the start of his second term, he has nonetheless intervened in half-a-dozen nations on behalf of his vision of war and peace. This makes him the most quixotic of isolationists and the first modern American leader to rule through cult of personality. He is anti-intellectual, luxurious but lacking in style, and especially adept at the art of retribution; the notion of consensus-building is, to him, alien and a deplorable sign of weakness. This in effect means the world is no longer dealing with the United States of America but instead with a thin-skinned New York real estate tycoon who happens to be president. Those who refuse to abide by boardroom orders are punished, not by the United States but by the tycoon. An America that once reflected a lofty if imperfect value system has been hijacked by an interloper who indulges personal, not national, preferences and priorities — profoundly insecure, he subsists on gut-level impulses and advice from his hand-picked coterie of insiders. Personality cult leaders have always depended on actions that call constant attention to themselves. By virtue of living and working in a rarefied society of yes-men, they are literally isolated. Consequently, nations not named America must be demeaned or threatened to acquire any real standing. Two centuries ago, a short and insecure military commander was not satisfied simply by being hailed as ruler of France. He demanded an emperor’s consecration. Behold a president who seeks the same.