Examine each presidential debate over the last year and a half. You won’t only find ad hominem, lies and far-fetched promises. Any seasoned political junkie will notice the lack of substance in these debates regarding foreign affairs.
Foreign policy is saved for the end of debates, and only deals with generalities such as “security” and “terrorism.”
It could be argued that the foreign policy segments of the debates are the only parts that matter, as the president is unconstrained when it comes to war and peace.
President Obama’s domestic policy legacy was a watered-down healthcare bill that barely made it through Congress and the courts. Almost no one discusses Obama’s early decision to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan — a decision made by close advisors and with no Congressional oversight.
Americans don’t want to believe that the president has more power over nuclear submarines in the Persian Gulf than education or social security. John F. Kennedy encapsulated this reality in a 1960 remark to his opponent Richard Nixon: “It really is true that foreign affairs is the only important issue for a president to handle, isn’t it? I mean, who gives a shit if the minimum wage is $1.15 or $1.25 in comparison to something like this?”
Though Donald Trump himself may not be aware of this reality, the early, visible stages of what I refer to with chagrin as the “Trump Doctrine” show striking deviations from his predecessors.
Other presidents usually put distance between themselves and U.S.-backed regimes. Not Trump. The Donald isn’t even president yet and he’s making pleasantries with the leaders of the Philippines and Pakistan.
The Pakistani government released a block quote of what Trump supposedly said to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a breaking of international norms. They allege that Trump called Sharif a “terrific guy,” and said he was “ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play.” For all of Trump’s talk on “radical Islam,” he certainly shows no qualms with cozying up to an Islamic military regime that has nuclear weapons and protected Osama bin Laden for years.
The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is also on Team Trump. Duterte claims Trump told him that the Philippines brutal extrajudicial executions of alleged drug dealers was “the right way” to go. Reports say Duterte’s murderous campaign has killed around 5,000 people.
Another plank of the Trump Doctrine is “unpredictability.” We’ve recently caught a glimpse at what this word means for Trump with his controversial call to the President of Taiwan.
The call broke with the U.S.’s “one China” policy which goes back to Richard Nixon. In a display of measured statesmanship, Trump took to Twitter to defend himself, tweeting “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.” Although the U.S. is an imperial state and the world’s top arms dealer, the president usually doesn’t brag about it on Twitter.
Finally, Trump’s biggest shake-up in the realm of foreign affairs is his obsession with appointing generals to top positions usually held by civilians. With former generals as his national security advisor, secretary of defense, and potentially secretary of state, Trump has broken the concept of civilian control of the military that goes back to 1789.
Many are defending these former generals as honest and brave warriors, showing a religious-like obedience to agents of the state just because medals are pinned to their chests. The military shouldn’t control politics, but Trump is turning the country into a military junta by the day.
luwrobin@umail.iu.edu
