Leaders from NATO member and partner states view a military flyover.- July 2018. Sean Gallup/Getty Images No one wants to go to war, especially the kind of long and brutal wars like Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Trump used concerns about these “forever wars” to claim that, unlike Hillary Clinton, he would keep the U.S. out of wars. While Trump has taken some steps that he seems to believe will maintain peace, many foreign policy and national security experts think he has made peace less likely.
Trump, for example, has ended treaties with Iran and Russia that limited the development or expansion of nuclear weapons because the treaties were flawed. Trump has not established either better treaties or other mechanisms to replace those treaties. In addition, he has severely weakened and undermined our alliances with NATO, Japan, and South Korea.
Trump has also imperiled the U.S. by refusing to recognize or acknowledge the dangers the country faces from North Korea’s nuclear program. Instead, Trump has replaced a program designed to disarm North Korea by building a personal relationship with North Korea’s leader. Obviously, turmoil among North Korea’s leadership could override the best of buds!
The U.S. faces an array of threats that will require a robust foreign policy and military if the conflict is to be avoided. Russia has launched a cyber attack on our elections system; it has also probed weaknesses in our infrastructure, a possible preamble to severely disrupting the U.S. As a significant part of the global economy, our economy depends on international supply lines. Hindering those supply lines could undermine our economy and well-being.
Above all, as Progressives, we have values that make us hate the genocide, massacres, and human rights violations we have seen in the last several decades. Acting with our allies and partners in the regions where these atrocities occur, we do have the ability to make life better for some people. To turn our back on people in need, undercuts who we are.
So far, only two Democratic candidates—Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren--have expressed a foreign policy that includes Progressive values. Look for other Democratic candidates to address the direction our foreign policy should take.
Trump, for example, has ended treaties with Iran and Russia that limited the development or expansion of nuclear weapons because the treaties were flawed. Trump has not established either better treaties or other mechanisms to replace those treaties. In addition, he has severely weakened and undermined our alliances with NATO, Japan, and South Korea.
Trump has also imperiled the U.S. by refusing to recognize or acknowledge the dangers the country faces from North Korea’s nuclear program. Instead, Trump has replaced a program designed to disarm North Korea by building a personal relationship with North Korea’s leader. Obviously, turmoil among North Korea’s leadership could override the best of buds!
The U.S. faces an array of threats that will require a robust foreign policy and military if the conflict is to be avoided. Russia has launched a cyber attack on our elections system; it has also probed weaknesses in our infrastructure, a possible preamble to severely disrupting the U.S. As a significant part of the global economy, our economy depends on international supply lines. Hindering those supply lines could undermine our economy and well-being.
Above all, as Progressives, we have values that make us hate the genocide, massacres, and human rights violations we have seen in the last several decades. Acting with our allies and partners in the regions where these atrocities occur, we do have the ability to make life better for some people. To turn our back on people in need, undercuts who we are.
So far, only two Democratic candidates—Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren--have expressed a foreign policy that includes Progressive values. Look for other Democratic candidates to address the direction our foreign policy should take.
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