Yesterday Donald Trump gave a speech on his foreign policy. Apparently it has scared some people around the world, especially the German Foreign Minister.
Overall, it was good policy. The best thing about it, is that it leaves behind the idea that we need to democratize the world, which was the stupidest idea that Bush II ever pushed. Trump seems to understand that “trying to spread “universal values” that not everyone shares” is pointless at best, and destructive the rest of the time.
Some have attacked Trumps speech as isolationist, but it isn’t isolationist. It is doing what is best for America, while abiding by the treaties that we have signed. If NATO nations fear this, maybe they should also abide by the agreements they made, and spend 2% of their GDP on defense. Asking everyone to help pay for a common defense is the least that can be done. Even the Secretary General of NATO said this, back in 2015.
The only thing that I really don’t know about is the anti-Globalization kick that he is on. It seems like a good idea, but so is the general idea of globalization. (This is still something that I’m internally debating with.)
The next question though, is whether or not Trump could actually deliver on his talk. If you remember, Obama didn’t want to get sucked into an endless war, but that is exactly what is happening with ISIS.
The one thing in Trump’s favor on this is that he wants to inject new blood into the foreign policy circles. This is completely different than the normal operation, because every modern president has relied on the same established people. With this twist, Trump may succeed with his policy.
Photo by Gage Skidmore – Licensed under CC by 2.0