Ukrainian President Zelensky’s self-inflicted televised Oval Office execution on February 28th marks a watershed moment in America’s New Ice Age history. A sea change in American policy and direction was revealed to millions of Americans looking on since the inauguration with a range of emotions from glee to foreboding. On that Friday, say what you want, but Trump told the world in no uncertain terms that America First was not just a phrase de jour; it was now the law of the land and an end to the kind of fuzzy grey thinking that Washingtonians revel in, allowing the obscuration of…well, everything!
America’s New Foreign Policy – A Pragmatic Approach:-
Zelensky, and by extension, Ukraine, began to realize that President Trump was setting down a maker that we would no longer be the world’s patsy. No matter how right the cause or how bad the suffering, America has entered a new metaphorical ice age based on cold, brutal pragmatism. Pragmatism based on self-interest regardless of international norms, treaties, winks and nods, and all the other constraints binding previous American leaders. This is unsettling but necessary, as we cannot be all things to all people. Even the world’s loan superpower has limitations; we must pick priorities that move us in the direction that gives us the greatest advantage. By doing so, the ultimate benefactors are not only Americans but the world as a whole as America grows stronger and more influential in an uncertain and dangerous world populated by fraudsters, would-be dictators, and manipulators.
Old loyalties must still be respected, but Trump’s words and actions implicitly imply that every family has its flaky members and that enabling them endlessly is neither productive nor likely to rectify the family members’ problems. Tough love is the order of the day. This is hard medicine for a world accustomed to living off American largess.
Trump is attempting to make a clean break from the failed policies of the past.
Unfortunately, Ukraine appeared in Trump’s crosshairs at the wrong time and walked into a trap of his own making by not understanding the changed dynamics from the Biden days. We are now in an era as different as the one that existed the day after dinosaurs no longer roamed the Earth. It will take some time to adapt as we measure the cost and benefits of everything we do, from the cost of government to our alliances and even if we will defend traditional allies. This is a hard truth that will not come easy to many. Consequently, we are in a period of disarray as the old is swept away in a massive tactical and strategic realignment that favors logic over process and precedent.
Sometimes, we will do things for unclear reasons; other times, we do things symbolically. Trump is not trying to break up the world order as much as he is rationalizing how decisions are made and moving towards an America that can be relied upon in a predictable manner but not as freewheeling as we once were.
USAID’s Demise – A Key Example of Trump’s Foreign Policy Shift:-
It is instructive and necessary to understand the depth and breadth of the changes by looking at individual pieces of the puzzle. To do that, witness the demise of USAID as the perfect example of Trump’s strategy. Perhaps the world’s largest slush fund at $44 billion, USAID was complicit in some of the worst abuses and absurdities. Hard or impossible to explain spending on:
- Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund irrigation canals, farming equipment, and fertilizer used to support poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan, benefiting the Taliban
- Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund DEI initiatives all over the world
- Over the past 15 years, USAID granted more than $270 million to organizations linked to fundamentally anti-American Soros
- USAID has provided over $1 billion to Gaza since the Hamas invasion of Israel, stealing much of that aid
- USAID has been a conduit to various NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services, which received $4.6 billion over several years, World Vision at $3.2 billion, Save the Children at $2.8 billion, International Rescue Committee at $2.5 billion, and CARE at $2.3 billion.And the list goes on!
It must also be noted that several of the above organizations have organized immigrants attempting to enter the United States. For example, Catholic Charities and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service provided a range of services both here and paradoxically, creating structured pathways and infrastructure to bring migrants to our border and then financially assisting them after they illegally crossed. It’s an absurd paradox that Border Patrol Agents were trying to keep illegals out while USAID was paying to get them in!
The above segues from the article’s main thrust are implicitly essential to the understanding of many who see or believe that the government was doing good things, i.e., good intentions that might seem heartless to cut out or to reduce spending on. The foregoing is proof positive that one hand does not know what the other is doing, and in the process, we are not only at cross purposes, but we waste our treasure. All by design, it highlights that the bureaucratic state holds more power and importance than We The People.
Conclusion:-
A clearly articulated vision of what is in America’s interests has yet to be made with clarity. Trump is not without fault, spending hours answering ad hoc questions and using surrogates to bolster his actions and ideas, all missing an overarching message of where we are and where we need to be that connects the dots for a greater number of us. Could that be part of his strategy?
Americans are not patient and are easily distracted. Everyone understands the ground has shifted, but not exactly the course we’re on. Trump would serve his interests better by communicating with the American people formally about his goals and aspirations. His recent Joint Session of Congress missed an opportunity to share a cohesive strategy. Clarity would be nice to have!
Allan J. Feifer—Patriot
Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com
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