Foreign Policy

As discussed in my previous post, Mr. Trump’s domestic policy largely turns its back on basic conservative principles and is riddled with gaping holes. Having said that, there are at least a few points that deserve praise, especially his willingness to cut personal and corporate tax rates, curb federal economic regulation and backing of school choice.

When looking at his foreign policy “plan”, however, I see no such bright spots. It’s simply a bizarre combination of straw man arguments, outdated information, horrendous inconsistencies, criminal naiveté and a fundamental misunderstanding of the world beyond our borders.

In one breath he tells our allies that if they don’t pick up a larger budgetary portion of the global security we provide, we will turn our backs on them. And in the next, he criticizes the Obama Administration for alienating our friends around the world.

He calls for us to “Advance America’s core national interests, promote regional stability and produce an easing of tensions in the world.” Yet, he states, “We will no longer surrender this country, or its people, to the false song of globalism.”

What false song of globalism is he referencing? This is 2016, not 1816. We live in a world where events on the other side of the planet have a direct impact on our day-to-day lives. Believing that building figurative, and in Mr. Trump’s case, literal walls around our country will somehow be the antidote to all of our nation’s ills is preposterous. We as a nation are far too interconnected with the rest of the world from an economic, cultural and security standpoint for Mr. Trump’s paranoid brand of American nationalism.

Receding from the global stage, leaving a power vacuum for bad actors to fill is exactly what has plagued the Obama Administration for the past eight years. And that is exactly what Mr. Trump is proposing we do.

We need a Pax Americana foreign policy, one where global peace and order is overseen by the U.S. and the West. Yes, it is expensive and, yes, it does cost resources, but it is the far preferred option to the international chaos we’re experiencing now. And for those of you that roll your eyes at this and label me an establishment globalist, please note that Pax Americana was our foreign policy from 1945-2008. Precisely the “America” those of you who support Mr. Trump supposedly want to return to.

Troubling Views and Statements

At various points during the campaign, Mr. Trump has…

• Expressed an admiration for Vladimir Putin
• Claimed Bashar al-Assad gets things done
• Stated he understand ISIS better than our generals
• Supported the use of torture
• Said he is willing to dissolve NATO over funding levels
• Freely tossed around the term “America First”, which was the name of a group of American Nazi sympathizers that believed the Roosevelt Administration was duped into joining the Allied forces by a cabal of Jewish organizations
• Flippantly discussed using nuclear weapons
• Bragged about getting his foreign policy beliefs from, “the shows”
• Proposed carpet bombing Iraq’s oil fields to cut off ISIS funding, even though that would  cripple the Iraqi economy
• Shown complete ignorance about the nation’s nuclear triad
• Lumped Sunni and Shiite Muslims together as if they are allies
• Gone back on his support of the Iraqi War of 2003

These are not the stances, statements or beliefs of a man qualified or fit to be commander in chief.

President of the United States of America is the most difficult job on Earth, and the most difficult part of the most difficult job is foreign policy. Alliances shift (the enemy of my enemy isn’t always my friend), intelligence is sometimes impossible to obtain and cultural nuances are tricky to master. Successfully wading through the confusing foreign policy waters takes tireless dedication, boundless effort and a sincere desire to listen and defer to experts.

Mr. Trump has exhibited none of these qualities.

Case in point-his criticism of the invasion of Mosul. Read this excellent account of the efforts in Mosul from last week’s Wall Street Journal and honestly ask yourself if you believe Mr. Trump has the patience and discretion to properly handle this situation.

These are the pitfalls of foreign policy. Each decision one makes has the potential to set off a seemingly endless labyrinth of unintended consequences. You have to perfect strategic decision making, while winning hearts and minds. This is why acting like a demagogue in terms of immigrants, especially when it comes to Muslims and Mexicans, is a dead end. If we want cooperation in the War on Terror and if we want to clean up our immigration issues at the U.S./Mexico border, we need partnership with foreign nations.

Sincere doubts abound about Mr. Trump’s lack of preparation and appreciation for the power of the presidency. I for one do not want to find out if he’s up to the challenge.