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The lessons of history vs. Trump’s foreign policy

6 min read
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Under President Trump, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of America’s bipartisan foreign policy. Basic tenets endorsed by previous American presidents of both political parties are under review and under attack. America’s key alliances and core beliefs are being questioned and open to serious revision.

After just a few months in office, the Trump administration’s relationships with the country’s closest allies are seriously strained, and our enemies can take heart that radical, alt-right views have now found a home in the Oval Office.

Going back to the end of World War II, leaders from the United States, Canada, and Europe toiled to build the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO – into the strong, united pillar of defense for the free world it is today. As Joseph Stalin moved first to liberate the Nazi-occupied countries of Eastern Europe, then incorporate them into his newly-created Soviet empire, NATO rallied Western democracies in opposing his aggression. In the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump had no kind words for NATO. He referred to it as “obsolete” and whined about the financial contributions of fellow members of the organization.

That set the stage for his disastrous performance at the NATO summit in Brussels in May. Prior to his speech, which was more scolding than inspiring, two new memorials were unveiled at the new NATO headquarters. One was a large segment of the Berlin Wall. The other was a blackened steel remnant from the World Trade Center. Both pieces are symbolic – the first reminds us of the struggles of the Cold War era in Europe, while the latter brought back memories of America at its most vulnerable moment in recent history.

According to news reports, Trump’s prepared remarks that day included a strong endorsement of Article 5 of NATO’s founding document, which states that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all member countries. For some reason Trump chose not to mention it. Rather, returning to campaign mode, President Trump used this opportunity to lambast the assembled NATO leaders for not paying their fair share and speculating on America’s continued role. Did anyone bother to inform our 45th President that the sole time Article 5 was ever invoked by NATO was in defense of the United States on 9/11?

Certainly there was rejoicing in the Kremlin that day.

Trump has further damaged international friendships of the most important strategic value. In particular, our German, French, and British partners continue to feel alienated from an American government they once understood and respected. Meanwhile, the Trump administration pursues an unprecedented pro-Russian policy, which gives assent to Vladimir Putin’s ambitions.

In illegally occupying Crimea, menacing Ukraine and the Baltic states, and propping up Bashar al-Assad’s murderous regime in Syria, Trump turns a blind eye to Russian interference in elections around the world. By sowing doubt and further weakening the reliance on the shared fundamental institutions of democracy, Putin faces fewer international obstacles to his overall goal of re-establishing Russia as a global power.

Many years of tranquility along America’s borders are threatened by Trump’s ill-advised policies. A longstanding dispute with Canada over the importation of cheaper and more abundant Canadian lumber resulted in punishing unilateral tariffs that will make the cost of building new homes in the United States much more expensive. Then there’s the proposed wall on the border with Mexico, which will be financed by American taxpayers or not at all. During the campaign, Trump regularly attacked Mexico and its citizens, branding them job stealers, rapists, drug dealers and killers.

No wonder that pinatas, bearing Trump’s likeness, are a popular item for children’s parties in Mexico.

The Ugly American has also returned to Latin America. The days of President Kennedy’s progressive outreach to that region are long gone. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress, a 10-year aid program, was designed to improve our standing in the region. The Peace Corps, another Kennedy initiative, sent thousands of eager volunteers to poor countries in the Third World. Is it any wonder why JFK’s picture, along with portraits of Jesus Christ and the pope, still hang on the walls of homes in the villages of Central and South America?

Trump has yet to undo Barack Obama’s Cuba policy. Surely, that is on his and Steve Bannon’s bucket list. As a payoff to Cuban-American voters in South Florida for handing him the state in the 2016 election, Trump is prepared to close the newly-opened embassy in Havana and resume frosty relations between the two countries. Such a shortsighted policy will never result in freedom in Cuba. Instead, it will embolden the next generation of repressive rulers.

In the Middle East, the American push for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as been a diplomatic hallmark of successive presidents, but Trump has yet to clearly endorse this longstanding view. Trump must come to understand that it is not in the interests of the United States to abandon our commitment to the existence of a Jewish state and the eventual establishment of a sovereign Palestinian homeland.

Meanwhile, in Asia, China continues to flex its muscles. Boldly claiming the South China Sea as its own, China is busy building fortified islands there to bolster its standing. The Chinese government seems undeterred by the protests of its neighbors, which feel threatened by this encroachment. While a candidate, Trump was swift to go after China for these aggressive moves. He declared the Chinese guilty of currency manipulation and a serious trade imbalance in Beijing’s favor. But President Trump has gone silent on these issues. Perhaps he feels a new art of the deal should include America’s aquiescence to Chinese bad behavior in exchange for putting the screws to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Asian allies, like Japan and South Korea, look to the United States for support against the aggressive intentions of both Beijing and Pyongyang.

The world remains a dangerous place. Our new president is a businessman, unfamiliar with the history, semantics, and nuances of diplomacy and foreign policy. President Trump’s recent ditching of the Paris climate agreement is just one more example of playing to his base rather than looking out for the long-term well-being of the American people and the world. It is imperative that our president surround himself with knowledgeable, experienced advisers who can bring him up to speed on the challenges we face. Then he must make decisions consistent with what is in America’s best interests, while also recognizing our country’s role on the world stage.

Carl Haberl is a retired teacher and a resident of South Strabane Township.

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