Bahbah: The World’s View of Trump --Unstable, Unpredictable, and Lacking Vision
By: Bishara A. Bahbah/Arab America Featured Columnist
I have just returned from a trip overseas that helped me assess the world’s view of the United States under President Donald Trump. In a nutshell, there is a general consensus around the world that view the current state of affairs in the United States, under Trump’s leadership, as unstable, unpredictable and lacking vision to lead as the sole superpower.
These views center around the character, personality, and policies of Mr. Trump and the mess that his policies have created. World leaders are astounded by the unpredictability of U.S. policies, Trump’s shifting sand of alliances, and the erratic character of the president. These characteristics affect not only Trump’s domestic policies but also U.S. vital political, economic, and strategic interests around the world.
Last week’s events shed a scary light on what is going on in the United States and how it is potentially destabilizing U.S. ties to the world.
In the United States, Trump has been dogged by the Russian investigation, back-stabbing within his administration, looming and critical midterm elections, and Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s turbulent nomination to the Supreme Court.
Here is how the world views Trump and his administration on key issues:
Trump
Trump’s performance at the United Nations General Assembly reflected the United States that is becoming belligerent toward the world – from his attacks on both allies and foes to the recital of his self-congratulatory achievements since he became president. Trump’s speech elicited unprecedented mocking laughter from world delegates and expressions of bewilderment at some of his off the cuff comments and frontal insults.
Iran
Predictably, Trump’s speech at the UN focused his sharpest attacks on Iran. Yes, Iran has the tendency to interfere in the already chaotic state of affairs in the Arab world and create a new regional order in the Middle East. It wants to inculcate havoc in parts of the Middle East by creating a vast arch of its own alliances in the Arab world. Iran wants to expand its influence in the region.
However, Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is a strategic error not that anyone wants to see another nuclear power in the world. It is an error because the Iran nuclear deal imposes controls on Iran’s development of nuclear power and technologies in return for relief from worldwide economic sanctions intended to chock the country. This week, Trump vowed to increase sanctions on Iran and warned that “any individual or entity who fails to comply with these sanctions will face severe consequences.” John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor, went further by threatening the US’s closest allies. He said, “We do not intend to allow our sanctions to be evaded by Europe or anybody else.”
The hypocrisy of the U.S. position is that it tolerates, and even supports Israel’s possession of a massive destructive arsenal of nuclear weapons. Why? Because Israel is presumably a friend of the United States. The arching principle and goal of the United States and the world community should be the Middle East free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
The US-Led Economic War
An average student enrolled in an economics 101 course would tell you that sanctions, unreasonable tariffs, and a trade war among countries are not good for anyone. It is certainly damaging to world economic growth particularly if it involves the world’s two largest economies. Trump’s imposition of huge tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States, and China’s retaliation by imposing tariffs on U.S. imports, is damaging for both China and the United States. Trade wars stifle the free and efficient flow of goods and services and slow worldwide economic growth.
More ominously, Trump escalated the crisis with China from the economic to the political and security realm. Without offering any evidence, Trump accused China during his comments at the UN Security Council of attempting to interfere in the 2018 midterm election “against my administration.” He added, “They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade.”
Surprisingly – or not – Trump freely launched his economic warfare on US allies as well. Trump’s goal seems to try and undo what took years of painstaking negotiations among countries to achieve. If Trump is tampering to his narrow political base in the United States, he should then expect a nationwide backlash in the upcoming U.S. November elections and certainly in the presidential elections coming up in two years. No American wants to pay unduly higher prices for goods and services to benefit a few industries representing people in Trump’s political base.
Assault on UN and International Institutions
In a forum such as the United Nations – a body created after the Second World War – to promote dialogue among countries and to help resolve disputes diplomatically, Trump condemned globalism and promoted a reversion to nationalism as a way of conducting foreign affairs. Has the United Nations, through its forums, peace-keeping activities, attempts to eradicate disease and hunger, not been a useful instrument that benefitted U.S. foreign policy? The U.S., through primarily the UN Security Council, has pushed for sanctions against N. Korea, Iran, Iraq, and other countries to further its own foreign policy agenda. However, when the world body or its affiliates adopt policies to the dislike of the United States, then the UN, all of a sudden, becomes the tool of an unqualified and unsuitable majority of nations. The U.S. has withheld funding from UN agencies and withdrew from several of them in protest.
Trump’s assault on the United Nations Human Rights Council is unacceptable from the perspective of a majority of countries. His attempts to delegitimize the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an under-handed assault on the international rule of law. The United States has, in fact, helped create the ICC and assisted in some of its investigations. For various reasons, the U.S. refused to join the ICC. But, when U.S. actions around the world, primarily in Afghanistan, came under the ICC’s scrutiny, the United States began a frontal assault against this international court.
US Foreign Aid
In his address to the General Assembly, Trump stated that the United States would only give foreign aid “to those who respect us and frankly are our friends.” As a country, the United States is at liberty to dispense of foreign aid at it wishes. However, Trump’s framing of how US foreign aid should be disbursed is beneath the dignity of the United States as a country. Respect is earned and not imposed. And, aid is often used as a tool to shape and influence the behavior of other countries or institutions that are not necessarily friends of the United States. Trump’s definition of who is deserving of U.S. foreign aid is short-sighted and cynical and not necessarily in the long-term best interest of the United States.
Israel-Palestine
One positive statement that came out of Trump’s mouth in the past week was his admission in the presence of Israel’s Prime Minister, that he now prefers a resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict through the two-state solution. Finally, some common-sense words came out of Trump in a week full of diplomatic blunders. Undoubtedly, he came to that conclusion after realizing that allowing Israel to dictate the ultimate outcome of a peace agreement cannot be dictated by Israel with the United States’ blind support. The Palestinians will not bow to pressure, intimidation, starvation, occupation, or humiliation. They have the right to demand their full national rights in Palestine in a viable state free of Israel’s security control or economic domination.
Thus far, Trump waged a vicious war against the Palestinians and gave Israel everything that it sought without a single Israeli concession in return. It remains to be seen whether Trump’s words will translate into actions and a path toward a two-state solution. Trump has not yet faced the cunning and conniving Benjamin Netanyahu in a serious confrontation.
The world, thanks to Trump, is at a dangerous junction.
Trump’s foreign policy is erratic, reckless, and lacks vision. A year ago, N. Korea was the world’s premier villain. Today, Trump is chumming up to a bloodthirsty dictator that, at the end of the day, cannot control his own fate because China and Russia do. Trump is alienating powerful allies and adversaries who do not seek and willingly ignore his threats but have the capacity to really hurt the United States. How long will the world tolerate an erratic and belligerent Trump? I am sure most countries are anxiously waiting for the next presidential elections which are expected to usher Trump and his lackeys out of office.
Prof. Bishara Bahbah was editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem based “Al-Fajr” newspaper between 1983-84. He was a member of the Palestinian delegation to the Peace Talks on Arms Control and Regional Security. He taught at Harvard and was the associate director of its Kennedy School’s Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America.