¡Alternative Foreign Policy Fact!

Photo by SLT

¡Alternative Foreign Policy Fact!

January 26, 2017

Comments

Michael Barone attempts to calm our tempers with a soothing lullaby of an argument. Adopting a tone diametrically opposed to President Trump’s combative us vs. them rhetorical approach, Barone makes a clever (yet far from persuasive) argument that at the heart of Trump’s America First-ness is a healthy respect for our collective self that takes into the concerns of ordinary folks. Trump is all about inclusion.

And though the liberal establishment elite media don’t get Trump and are attempting to discredit him, “foreign leaders aren’t following suit.” Indeed, Barone suggests:

“Foreign leaders are scrambling to engage with Trump on his terms — Britain’s Theresa May, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Mexico’s Enrique Pena, Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu.” (Italics mine.)

Yes, Barone sees Mexico’s president as bending over backwards to placate Trump.

Perhaps. No, not perhaps.

No.

4 responses to “¡Alternative Foreign Policy Fact!”

Gustopher

January 26, 2017 at 11:02 pm

“America First” means we really aren’t looking out for the interests of the rest of the world, or our allies. It means we aren’t creating and preserving a world order that mostly benefits us, and which is a little expensive. It means we aren’t a superpower. It means the American Century is over.

It means we are resigned to being a regional power, like Russia or China, explicitly putting ourselves above our allies and treating them as subbordinates, rather than equals, so they want to drift away from us.

On the other hand, perhaps we will start putting our interests ahead of the Israeli far right’s? Ok, I got ahead of myself there.
Gustopher

January 26, 2017 at 11:22 pm

@Gustopher: I think I need to expand on that a little more… either that, or that beer I just had was very strong.

I think we have already seen the effects of an America First style policy right here at home — I would call it “Real America First”, and it is the recent radicalized Republican policy of putting their interests ahead of the country’s. It’s resulted in a bitterly divided country, with no shortage of distrust or disgust.

And, we want to do this internationally. It will not go well. It’s Ayn Rand’s “enlightened self interest” against building consensus.

I’m not entirely opposed to the US stepping back a little on the international stage — being a superpower is expensive, and we have people living on our streets. We might be better off caring more for our own than being the world’s policeman. But, I don’t think it should happen haphazardly, and I don’t think we want it to happen as a result of the rest of the world’s revulsion.
dmhlt

January 27, 2017 at 9:25 am

With “Alternative Facts” like Barone’s, is it any wonder George Orwell’s 1984 is back on the Best Seller List?
C. Clavin

January 27, 2017 at 12:32 pm

@Gustopher:
If you want to know how the Trump era turns out look to Atlantic City