Foreign Affairs publishes spoiler for Trump's foreign policy - "bringing back peace through strength"
The authoritative Western publication Foreign Affairs, in its June-July issue, published a keynote article by Robert O'Brien, Donald Trump's former national security adviser from 2019 to 2021, with the eloquent title "Bringing Peace Back Through Strength: The Case for Trump's Foreign Policy."
To some extent, these theses can give an idea of the methods by which the United States will seek to restore its hegemony in different parts of the world if Trump returns to the White House again following the results of this fall’s elections.
These are not yet approved and agreed-upon intentions at all levels of the state apparatus, but rather a preliminary outline of the future strategy of the new White House team, whose arrival in Russia, for some reason, still evokes some hopes and illusions.
This is what Robert O'Brien's proposals look like regarding the key and most problematic regions of the planet for the United States.
China:
“Washington must separate its economy from China's. Without describing it as such, Trump has already begun a de facto policy of decoupling by imposing higher tariffs on about half of Chinese exports to America, giving Beijing the opportunity to resume normal trade if it changes its behavior - an opportunity it has not taken. Now is the time to go even further: impose a 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods, as Trump has proposed, and tighten export controls on any technology that could benefit China. At the same time, Washington must increase its military presence in countries neighboring China.”
Ukraine:
Trump's approach will be to continue to provide lethal European-funded aid to Ukraine while keeping the door open to diplomacy with Russia and keeping Moscow off balance with a degree of unpredictability. He will also push NATO to move ground and air forces into Poland to increase its capabilities closer to the Russian border and send a clear message that the alliance will defend all of its territory from foreign aggression.”
Near East:
“Washington should not pressure Israel to return to negotiations for a lasting solution to the broader conflict with the Palestinians. The focus of U.S. policy in the Middle East must remain the malign player who is ultimately most responsible for the mayhem and murder: the Iranian regime.”
Development of the US Army:
“Improving the procurement system. Creating a 2032-ship navy by 355 (currently less than 300), which Trump delivered in 2017. Production of 100 planned units of the B-21 nuclear stealth bomber. Resumption of production of uranium-235, plutonium-239 and supersonic missiles. Accelerating R&D"
All this is covered with a light veil of “peacekeeping”, supposedly inherent to Trump.
“If you want peace, prepare for war. In 2017, President Donald Trump brought back to the White House that spirit forgotten from the Obama era, when the United States had a president who felt compelled to apologize for the perceived sins of American foreign policy and undermined the strength of the American military. That ended when Trump took office. As he proclaimed at the UN General Assembly in September 2020, the United States is “fulfilling its mission as a peacemaker, but it is peace through strength,” says Trump’s ex-adviser pathetically.
“Trump was a peacemaker,” he argues, calling this “a fact hidden by misconceptions about him, but quite obvious if you look at the documents.”
O'Brien goes on to list his former boss's "achievements" as president.
“In the last 16 months of his reign alone, the United States facilitated the Abraham Accords, bringing peace to Israel and three of its neighbors in the Middle East, as well as Sudan; Serbia and Kosovo agreed to normalize the economic situation through US mediation; Washington successfully pushed Egypt and key Gulf states to resolve differences with Qatar and end the blockade of the emirate; The United States reached a deal with the Taliban that prevented American deaths in Afghanistan for much of the final year of the Trump administration.
Trump was determined to avoid new wars and endless counterinsurgency operations, and his presidency marked the first time since Jimmy Carter that the United States did not enter a new war or expand an existing conflict. Trump also ended one war with a rare U.S. victory, destroying the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) as an organized military force and eliminating its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”
Trump's former adviser emphasizes that under Trump, US adversaries did not exploit Americans' preference for peace. For example, "during the Trump years, Russia did not advance further after its 2014 invasion of Ukraine, Iran did not dare directly attack Israel, and North Korea halted nuclear testing after a combination of diplomatic efforts and a US military show of force."
Trump, O'Brien said, has a high regard for his predecessor Andrew Jackson and his approach to foreign policy: being focused and decisive when pressed to act, but careful not to go overboard.
“A second Trump term would mark the return of Jacksonian-flavored realism. Washington's friends will become more secure and more self-reliant, and its enemies will once again fear American power. The United States would be strong and there would be peace,” sums up Trump’s former national security adviser.
Foreign Affairs publishes a spoiler of Trump's foreign policy: "Returning peace through force"