In the Name of “America First” – The Risks of America’s New Nationalism
Nor has Trump been able to point the way to the establishment of more positive diplomatic relations with American rivals that could guarantee global peace in the long term. After a full year in office, Trump’s dealings with both US allies and rivals have not yet appeared to possess any discernible “method.”
Nor is there any true Trump “doctrine” except for a vague and ill-defined ideological conception of “America First” whose proclaimed aim is nuclear superiority and “unmatched power”—in the presumption that “weakness is the surest path to conflict.”
According to insider accounts, President Trump has appeared more interested in TV coverage of his presidency than his daily executive intelligence briefing papers.
Trump’s White House remains dysfunctional and although some of his advisors and cabinet members want to bring a semblance of control to the Trump White House, they do not appear to be able to control the President himself.
In October 2017, Republican Senator Bob Corker had already stated, “I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him”; Corker also affirmed, “A lot of people think that there is some kind of ‘good cop, bad cop’ act underway, but that’s just not true.” In August 2017, Corker had previously claimed that Trump had not yet demonstrated “the stability nor some of the competence” that he needed to be successful.
And Trump still has not shown that competence. While Corker likewise warned that Trump’s reality TV show antics could start World War III.
It is true that Trump did not create this very dangerous global situation—and he himself has publicly acknowledged its dangers and has blamed it on his predecessors.
But the problem is that Trump’s arrogance, impatience, policy flip-flops, irresponsible tweets, refusal to engage in long term diplomacy, only exacerbate the already deep crisis and polarisation of the global alliance system that began prior to Trump’s arrival to power—but that is being made even worse by Trump.
By contrast with Trump’s claims, “unmatched power”—even if such a thing could be obtained—will not guarantee peace. There is a real danger that his stated quest to obtain US military and nuclear supremacy will actually provoke conflicts—if not major power war.
Trump’s crude rhetoric, contradictory policies, and foreign policy blunders, risk breaking up the primary guarantors of global peace. The UN could be one of the first international organisations to collapse in impotence, but NATO and the EU could break up as well—in the process of Trump losing the confidence of America’s major ally, the UK.
Hall Gardner‘s article was published in Wall Street International. Go to Original. 2018 Human Wrongs Watch
Source: https://human-wrongs-watch.net/2018/02/09/in-the-name-of-america-first-the-risks-of-americas-new-nationalism/