It is still three weeks until Donald J Trump is inaugurated as President of the United States though the world seems to already have begun to operate as if he is the President. That is more an indictment of the weakness of the faltering health of our dementia afflicted President.
One of the criticisms of President-elect Donald J Trump is that he is an isolationist. The evidence used to substantiate that criticism is his stated policy of “America First!”
I believe that is an erroneous interpretation of what he intends by America First. Let me cite an example.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The United States in the aftermath of the Second World War participated in the occupation of Germany and then refocused on the threat projected by our former WWII ally, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics — the USSR.
Just to ensure we have our facts right
Ponder this, dear reader:
1. The USSR/Soviets took the surrender of German forces along a line that became the Iron Curtain as described in Churchill’s speech on 5 March 1946 in Fulton, Missouri, USA.
2. Nato was formed on 4 April 1949 in Washington, DC as a defensive alliance with its Atlantic Charter Article V stating that an attack on one was an attack on all. This common promise is the core of Nato and has been a successful deterrent to Soviet and Russian aggression.
Make no mistake, it was American military capabilities that put the steel in the spine of this agreement.
3. This melding of common interests was an outgrowth of the Marshall Plan (Economic Cooperation Act of 1948) that saved Europe’s economic bacon in the aftermath of the devastation of WWII.
Secretary of State George Catlett Marshall proposed this plan on 5 June 1947 at a speech at Harvard.
4. In addition, the Allies of World War II had enjoyed a close working relationship in the defeat of Germany in Europe. Many of those players were now in important leadership roles in their respective countries.
5. The Nato Alliance pursued a Cold War with the Soviets during the time period 12 March 1947 to 3 Decermber 1989. [I think the Cold War lasted until the implosion of the Soviet Union.]
The Cold War included the Berlin Blockade and Airlift in 1948/49 as well as the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the War in Vietnam.
6. The USSR, the Soviet Union, collapsed and dissolved on 26 December 1991 leaving in its wake the Russian Federation and a number of former USSR unwilling and captive client states that became members of Nato.
On the heels of all of this the Russian Federation, under the leadership of a murderous thug named Vladimir Putin, began a quest to regain its former heralded footing as a superpower and to regain its former geographical footprint as a major European power.
Putin, a real bastard, has used raw military power to conquer neighboring countries — making war on babies, children, mothers, women, the elderly, schools, churches, power plants, and hospitals — with brutal assaults reminiscent of WWII and with a level of brutality equal to the worst terrorists. There is a pattern here that only a fool would ignore.
While Nato believed the major threat to Europe had diminished in 1991 due to the fall of the USSR (and hence the Peace Dividend), Putin has reinvigorated the threat to Europe with his vicious military hegemony thereby making the Nato alliance more relevant than it has been in decades.
Uhhh, Big Red Car, America First?
Yes, dear reader, I was drifting a bit.
One of the features of the Nato agreement was that each member would invest no less than 2% of its GDP in its own defense.
Through the years while the US had enormous amounts of troops in Europe, the Europeans became lazy and did not meet their threshold. They got real sloppy after the implosion of the Soviet Union.
Trump 1.0 brought this to the attention of our Nato allies and kicked them in the ass. They responded and, in general, began to increase defense spending. This was one of the reasons why Nato was capable of responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an organized and capable manner, but there was a problem: the bloody lion’s share of the support came from the United States.
Trump 1.0 also pointed out to the Nato allies — particularly Germany and Austria — the folly of trading with Russia in the energy business. It took the Germans more than a year to even begin weaning themselves off Russian energy. Austria today still buys Russian natural gas through Slovakia.
So, how does America First work in the real world, Big Red Car?
Here are the principles of America First:
1. Equal requirements. Don’t ask America to do more for you than you do for yourself or the relationship. This pertains to reciprocal tariffs.
2. Stop sending America the bill for everything.
3. Meet your treaty obligations before asking for American help. Trump is not going to be the world’s policeman. You got piracy problems in the waters off Somalia, ask for American help, but be prepared to do your fair share of the work and bear your fair share of the cost.
4. If America imposes economic sanctions on a common enemy, enforce them.
5. Police your own continent. Don’t call America to help Europe when you are on the other side of an ocean and compete economically with the United States. Nato/the European Union has to deal with its own continent.
6. Determine if there is truly an American national security interest at contest here BEFORE committing American time, blood, or treasure.
Bottom line it, Big Red Car, we have to take down the Christmas tree
Fine, dear reader.
Our new President — not so new, actually, Trump 2.0 — is going to test every American commitment with a lens of common sense BEFORE he makes commitments. He will want fairness, an equal sharing burden, geographical ownership of the problem, and a distinct American national security threat or interest BEFORE asking the nation to commit its time, blood, and treasure.
It’s not isolationist; it’s bloody common sense.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Happy New Year!