U.N.: President Trump no doubt didn't get the reaction he would have liked from the United Nations to his speech. The assembled diverse-ocrats seemed to largely ignore the substance of his speech. Too bad. The outlines of his new Trump Doctrine that he unveiled at U.N. headquarters will have a major global impact.
Gone are the days of President Obama's kowtowing to foreign despots and pretending that all nations are the same. They aren't. And Trump, while willing to live and let live, is the first president since Ronald Reagan to tell the U.N. that our country will no longer tolerate the tyrants and dictators whose nations make up much of the U.N.'s General Assembly.
Trump has been tough on the U.N., so it's not surprising that his speech wasn't exactly greeted with politeness. When he began his speech boasting of his administration many undoubted accomplishments, the assembled "diplomats" laughed.
"It's true," Trump said. He added, somewhat gracefully for him, "Didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK."
Laugh as they will, the U.N.'s members are finding out that Trump and his gutsy ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, are not patsies.
That was clear in Trump's speech, which was groundbreaking in that he wholly rejected the god of globalism in favor of local, democratic governance and basic patriotism.
"We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism around the world," Trump told the U.N. "Responsible nations must defend against threats to sovereignty. And not just from governments, but from other newer forms of coercion and domination."
"I honor every nation to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live or work or worship," he said. "We only ask that you honor our sovereignty in return."
"Sovereignty." What a fabulously old-fashioned, yet beautiful, term, one that has fallen into both disuse and disrepute in the Age of Globalism. We're glad Trump used it, since it's one of the many things that the socialist advocates of globalism would like to erase.
An End To Globalism?
Of course small-'g' globalism is fine, as an idea of openness and friendly relations among sovereign nations, each acting in its own interest. But as an ideological prelude to world government through the U.N., it's entirely unacceptable to any free people.
As Trump made clear, "globalism" becomes an empty and dangerous shibboleth when it means nothing beyond "all countries are the same, all moral codes are the same, all civilizations are the same." And when it erodes the rights of nations to act in their own interest.
That's why Trump pulled out of Obama's faulty oil deal. It's why he's pulling out of the International Criminal Court, which seems to be unable to render even simple justice. And it's why he won't agree to a new global deal on migration. "Migration should not be governed by an international body, unaccountable to our own citizens," Trump said.
In his speech, Trump made a quick tour d'horizon of the world's major conflicts and disputes, from Iran and Syria to China and North Korea. He had tough words for energy starved Germany for cozying up to Russia's President Vladimir Putin in order to keep the energy flowing.
Trump offered to sell Germany oil, natural gas and clean coal to fuel its economy, rather than increasing its dependence on Russia. German officials attending the U.N. session smirked.
At U.N., Hard Words For Iran
Trump ripped Iran for its many sins. "Iran's leaders sow chaos, death, and destruction. They do not respect their neighbors or borders, or the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, Iran's leaders plunder the nation's resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond."
Tough words, to be sure. But all sadly true. Trump defended the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Tehran has repeatedly been caught cheating on its pledge to cut back its nuclear weapons program. The Iran deal was supposed to isolate Tehran and force the ruling theological clique there to live up to the agreement.
Instead, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China announced a joint plan by which they would set up a special payment mechanism that will let their companies circumvent U.S. sanctions.
So the rest of the world, including many of our allies, eschew Trump-style sovereignty. Fair enough. That's their choice. But they should remember that Iran's missile program already has projectiles that can reach Europe. Iran is still working on a nuclear bomb. It won't be long until nuclear blackmail will be Iran's trump card.
Trump Doctrine, Defined
If "sovereignty" is the central concept of the new Trump Doctrine, then an almost Reagan-like aversion to socialism and communism isn't far behind in importance.
"Currently, we are witnessing a human tragedy, as an example, in Venezuela," Trump said. "More than two million people have fled the anguish inflicted by the socialist Maduro regime and its Cuban sponsors. Venezuela was one of the richest countries on Earth. Today, socialism has bankrupted the oil-rich nation, and driven its people into abject poverty."
He went on: "Virtually everywhere socialism or communism has been tried, it has produced suffering, corruption, and decay. Socialism's thirst for power leads to expansion, incursion and oppression."
Right on, as those on the left might say. Trump is right to limit the U.S.' involvement in the U.N. and its various bodies until it cleans up its act. And he's also right to call out those whose behavior has created little more than death, destruction and massive waves of human migration.
Call it the Trump Doctrine. As tough as it sounds, its basic idea of enlightened self-interest may be the only thing that can save this troubled world right now.
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