Trump signals shift from Obama’s focus on multilateralism
ASSOCIATED PRESS / DEC. 15
President-elect Donald Trump has derided some of the same international partnerships President Barack Obama and his recent predecessors have promoted.
For eight years, President Barack Obama’s foreign policy doctrine has been rooted in a belief that while the United States can take action around the world on its own, it rarely should.
“Multilateralism regulates hubris,” Obama declared.
His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has derided some of the same international partnerships Obama and his recent predecessors have promoted, raising the prospect that the Republican’s “America First” agenda might well mean an America more willing to act alone.
“The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time,” Trump tweeted days after the UN Security Council approved a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Both Israel and Trump called on the U.S. to use its veto power to block the measure, but the Obama administration instead abstained.
Trump’s criticism of the United Nations is shared by some in his party, including a handful of GOP lawmakers who have called for Congress to withhold funding for the body following the settlements vote.
Some of Trump’s other positions have drawn swift rebuke from Republicans, particularly his criticism of NATO during the presidential campaign and his suggestion that the U.S. might not defend partners that don’t fulfill financial obligations to the longstanding U.S.-European military alliance.
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Trump has also challenged the necessity of multilateralism in his economic agenda, pledging to scrap the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord in favor of one-on-one agreements that he says will be more favorable to U.S. businesses and workers.
With Trump still about three weeks away from taking office, it’s unclear how his campaign rhetoric will translate into action. Even as he has criticized the UN and NATO, he has vowed to “aggressively pursue joint and coalition military operations” with allies to take on the Islamic State militant group. What those military operations might entail is uncertain, given that Trump’s views on national security have been both isolationist and muscular, including his recent call for expanding U.S. nuclear capabilities.
Richard Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during President George W. Bush’s administration and has been working with Trump’s transition team, downplayed the prospect that Trump will withdraw from or even disregard the UN and NATO once he takes office.
“Trump is talking about reforming these organizations so that they live up to their ideals, not about abandoning them,” Grenell said in an interview.
Obama has also been critical of U.S. partners at times, telling The Atlantic magazine earlier this year that some U.S. allies were “free riders” eager for Washington to solve the world’s problems. Obama also has pushed NATO partners to live up to an agreement that they spend at least 2 percent of their country’s gross domestic product on defense, a guideline only a few members adhere to.
But the president’s major foreign policy decisions have highlighted his belief that the U.S. is better served acting in concert with other nations — and that a lack of involvement from allies should be a warning sign to Washington. Both Republican Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush were also proponents of coalition-building before taking drastic action overseas.
With the support of the UN Security Council and NATO allies, Obama joined the bombing campaign in Libya in 2011. He backed away from plans to launch airstrikes against Syria in 2013, spooked in part by the British Parliament’s refusal to authorize its military to participate and scant willingness among other allies to join the effort.
On the diplomatic front, Obama’s administration worked alongside five other nations to secure a landmark nuclear accord with Iran and partnered with the European Union to level economic sanctions against Russia for its provocations in Ukraine.
Like much of Obama’s approach to foreign policy, his preference for acting as part of a coalition was shaped by lessons learned from the Iraq war he inherited from George W. Bush. While numerous other countries were part of the war at the start, the U.S. had by far the largest commitment and bore the brunt of the casualties and the financial burden. Responsibility for quelling the sectarian violence and instability that consumed Iraq after the 2003 invasion also fell predominantly to the U.S.
During a foreign policy address in 2014, Obama chastised those who criticized him for seeking to share burdens with other countries and who saw working through institutions such as the UN as a “sign of weakness.”
When crises arise that do not directly threaten the U.S. but still demand action, Obama said, “We have to work with others because collective action in these circumstances is more likely to succeed, more likely to be sustained (and) less likely to lead to costly mistakes.”
12 responses to “Trump signals shift from Obama’s focus on multilateralism”
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Basically Trump wants all nations to pay their fare share and live up to their side of the agreement. He also wants the rules/laws enforced. I don’t see anything wrong with that
I’m sure klastri, Allie and nanakuliboss will put in their 2 cents. That’s what their comments are worth.
Nalogirl, you NAILED it.
Well said!
What Donald Trump brings to the Oval Office is something that has been MIA for the last 8 years: common sense and the ability to excel.
The contrast between the current occupant of the White House – – who except for two ‘memoirs’ (and even these may have been ghost written) had accomplished precisely ZERO before we foolishly vaulted him into the Oval Office – – and a successful executive driven to succeed (one has swum with the sharks in a ferociously competitive industry) could not possibly be greater.
Right now the pent up demand of so many to make our economy – – that has been deliberately sabotaged for the last 8 years – – sing again can be seen in such enthusiasms as a Dow Jones Industrial Average now within kissing distance of TWENTY THOUSAND.
As our Cajun cousins might put it, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
You are too funny…promoting Trump for the cause of the DJIA rise. I hope you likewise give Obama credit for its rise in the years since the recovery took hold.
“Recovery” my [redacted]!
95 million less than fully employed.
Cooking the books to promulgate the lie that only 4% are unemployed.
Urban black youth unemployment circa 90%
The actual GDP “growth” rate at anemic 1.5 – 2%
And NONE of this is an accident, but a depiction of what the current occupant of the White House had in mind when he promised “transformation”.
That is why there is such pent up demand to make America great again, the first step on that journey being to gut the repressive economic policies of said occupant that have effectively choked off anything like a full recovery.
@ nalogirl & thos
Excellent comments!
I’d like to add; “Multilateralism regulates hubris,” Obama declared.
BO did not do what he stated…O led from BEHIND with empty threats (Red Lines to taking action against Russia for “hacking” w/no proof) that only an ALL MOUTH NO ACTION DYSFUNCTIONAL NARCISSIST M0R0N would SPEW! O EMBARRASSED America.
The 8 year NIGHTMARE is almost over BUT the DYSFUNCTIONAL NARCISSIST is not making it easy for America with his DUMB parting shots to ISRAEL, RUSSIA & P.E. TRUMP.
I BLAME the sheeple who voted BO in not only once but TWICE! (expecting different results? Only IDI0TS expect that! lIBS >>>>”Fool me once shame on you…fooling me twice SHAME on ME”!)
Liberals…what has BO accomplished that benefited Americans?
January 20, 2017 #MAGA
ps…P.E. Trump has done more for America since Nov. 8 than BO has done in 8 years!
correction to my question….what has BO accomplished that benefited “a MAJORITY of” Americans?
What has the Donald accomplished since Nov. 8th? Can you be specific? Lets see he has dropped his promise to lock up Hillary, and he has agreed to shut down his phony foundation but has been told not to.
The stock market has risen since the election but the more important question is where will it be a year or two from now aflter the Donald has passed more tax cuts for the rich and the deficit has risen? As I have previously said I will consider the Donald a success if the stock market continues to rise, unemployment stays low, and the deficit doesn’t rise. But if the deficit rises to over a trillion, stock market crashes, and unemployment rises, I would like to know which Trump supporters will still support this fraud.
@ boots..typical liberal..go find out for yourself…Google…use it.
Widen your info base…away from FAKE NEWS, CNN, NYT, MSM… and then we can debate.
January 20, 2017 #MAGA
two easy things kicked the UN out of the U.S. and use the buildings for homeless shelters also get out of NATO that’s a European problem not ours. its that simple.
NATO can defend itself. No need for our help. Putin’s Russia is not a strong military force any longer.
Yes lets go back to making the US the world’s policeman. Obviously you miss G W Bush who went to war to support his ratings. The American empire.