US President Donald Trump is particularly obsessed about the wall that he vowed to build along the country's border with Mexico. He proposes that establishing a wall will keep illegal immigrants away. He is so desperate to secure funding for the wall that he wilfully shut down the government. In order to secure funding for the wall, he virtually manufactured a crisis at the border, which he presented before the people as a foreign invasion.

Donald Trump ran for presidency as a conservative. It's normal that conservatives would want to limit immigration. However, the way Trump chose to advance the agenda should be denounced. Politicians like Trump thrive on hate and division. Inciting division in society is a way for them to win the election.

That such a man now leads the world's most powerful country has a ramification for the entire world. The rise of such men points towards the decline of liberal values. And the decline of liberal and democratic values emboldens other illiberal, authoritarian, autocratic and divisive leaders across the globe.

Javed Mashroor, By e-mail