FRIENDS & FOES ALIKE: CONFUSED ABOUT THE US NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY

…Will Trump’s National Security Strategy protect the US from this?

 

Trump clashes with British and German leaders, while he praises Saudi and Malaysian dictators.

OK, I now understand that what Trump presented to us early this week, which he referred to as the “National Security Strategy”, why it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  It now appears, that according to the Chief National Security Spokesperson, the president perhaps did not actually read the strategy paper.

 

I will now give you the particulars as to why I say that what the president presented, didn’t make any real sense.

 

First, as compared to both the Obama and the Dubya Bush administrations, Trump’s presentation does not reconcile with either of these administrations, and it does not agree with the strategy of today’s Pentagon.   The president’s authors of the strategy, his national security staff, they were totally unsuccessful in even having the president’s on-going impulses agree with core US policy interests.

 

What is really confusing is, what Trump presented didn’t even agree with some of the policies that the president himself has formally favored, especially the US policies with China and Russia.

 

First, let’s look at what is missing from the strategy presentation.

 

As compared to former strategies, even the Pentagon has stated that there is a serious threat to our national security due to climate change.  That has not changed.  In addition, where was the US commitment to promote democracy and human rights, as well as a statement for seeking the reduction of nuclear weapons?  None of these were in what was presented by President Trump.

Both former US administration’s strategies saw trade deals as being in the nation’s national interest.  But the Trump administration seems to see these “deals” as a way for the competitor nations to take advantage of America.

 

But the biggest differences were with the Trump strategy’s treatment of Russia and China.  

 

Mr. Trump’s document portrayed China and Russia as dangerous rivals who want to shape the world in a way that is incompatible to US interests and values.  But President Trump has so far only heaped praise on the autocratic rulers, Xi Jinping and Vladi­mir Putin. In this speech, which was meant to focus on the nation’s strategy, but Trump instead went off script and rambled on, describing the friendly phone call he had received from Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

 

The strategy then praised US alliances as he reaffirmed the US support for NATO.  However, also in his speech, the president again made the claim that “immensely wealthy” allies had been “delinquent in NATO payments while we guaranteed their safety.” But as usual, no nations were named.  Trump’s document does say the United States will favor democracies over unfree states.  But Mr. Trump's actions to date are that he clashes more with the leaders of Britain and Germany, while he praises the Dictators of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Yes, it does appear that as usual, Trump doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he has not done his national security homework as a US president.

 

It was totally disgusting how those US Senators and US Representatives, many that had previously spoken out against the president, but they applauded the president at the White House for his “great leadership” in getting the GOP tax plan passed through congress.  Legislation that is probably the worst legislation in decades, and that we working Americans will be paying for, for all those decades.  That is, unless the Dems can eventually take over the congress.

 

As for today’s US National Security Strategy, it is a completely incoherent, mish-mash framework, that does not fit with the president’s own views and prejudices.

 

The nation’s friends and enemies will both be scratching their heads in trying to figure out this bizarre administration’s next moves.

 

In other words, for the Trump administration, it’s business as usual.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2017