Trump Continues To Alienate Important Allies – The End Of The American Century?

I’m not sure Jared Kushner is getting the job done as the de-facto manager of foreign relations for the Trump administration. And it is increasingly looking like he and his father-in-law will preside over the period that will be defined as the “end of the American Century”.

In Asia, Trump’s weak response to China’s aggression, his complete back-down on challenging the “one-China” policy, and his weak and muddled response to the North Korean missile launches have created real concern amongst our allies, none more so than Australia. From his disastrous initial phone call with Turnbull to the rejection of TPP to the campaign rhetoric about letting Japan and South Korea become nuclear powers, all have made Australians question American leadership.

Those questions only got deeper when Stephen FitzGerald, Australia’s first ambassador to China and respected foreign policy hand, openly stated that Australia needed to realign itself with China and added a scathing indictment of the Trump administration. Said Fitzgerald, “Trump has not only debauched the American system and practice of government, compromised America’s security, and destabilized international politics. For Australia…Trump’s ascension has laid bare the danger of our dependence, our unquestioning involvement with America’s foreign contests and wars, and our delusion that our interests and America’s are the same, or that the US cares about ours. And if you didn’t already question aspects of the indiscriminate claims of shared values with the US – for example, America’s gun culture, religion in politics, or plutocratic government – the values that Trump brings to the presidency, including his assault on the values we do share, and the ideas of truth, fact and integrity in public life, are an affront to our and should be called out for what they are.”

But the main thesis of FitzGerald’s talk was simply “We are living in a Chinese world. But we don’t have a relationship to match it.” FitzGerald is under no illusions about the nature of the Chinese government and realizes its desires to expand its influence in Asia. But he argues that now is the time for Australia to recognize Chinese leadership in Asia and begin a constructive and deep engagement with China.  There are other in Australian foreign policy circles who will disagree with Fitzgerald and believe that the US remains an important counterweight to Chinese influence. But FitzGerald is highly respected in Australia and his words show just how much Trump has rattled important allies. Who would have believed we would hear an Australian say the words “we are living in a Chinese world.”

Secretary of State Tillerson’s visit to Asia also did nothing to soothe the Australians. I would assume they would consider the fact that he neglected to even make a quick stop-over in Canberra as another slap in the face from Trump. And his saber-rattling and refusal to even consider negotiations with the North Koreans will further trouble the Aussies, driving them ever closer to the Chinese.

Meanwhile, Trump is also antagonizing our other long-standing ally, Britain. In yesterday’s press conference, Sean Spicer cited Fox News contributor Andrew Napolitano stating that Obama had asked the UK’s intelligence service to spy on Donald Trump. This was apparently “proof” that supported Trump’s claim that Obama had “wiretapped” Trump Tower, a claim that has been thoroughly debunked by every intelligence source and investigation. Needless to say, the UK did not like getting dragged into Trump’s domestic political disputes, especially when the claim is false. The UK intelligence agency, in a rare move, immediately put out a strong statement denying Trump’s claim and UK politicians immediately demanded an apology from the Trump administration. The administration’s initial response was to assure the UK that this would not happen again and was merely a repetition of a news report and not an endorsement of the report, despite it being read by the President’s press secretary. That is hardly an apology and will probably continue to infuriate the Brits.

Worse, Trump himself refused to apologize for the UK story in his frosty press conference with Angela Merkel, saying the administration did nothing wrong by regurgitating with a White House imprimatur an unsourced and undocumented comment from a Fox News pundit and further annoying the Brits. In addition, he tried to bring Germany into his conspiracy theory by saying that he and Merkel had something in common, having both been bugged by the Obama administration. Merkel was not amused. Trump once again accused European countries of not “paying their fair share” to the US to defend Europe. While it is true that under 1/4th of NATO countries fulfill their commitment to spend 2% on their military, in no way is any money owed to the US. Trump just enhances his reputation for ignorance and unreliability with our allies when he continually repeats this claim. It’s no wonder that Germans’ trust in America has fallen from 60% just prior to the November election to just 22% today and now stands virtually equal to Germans’ trust of the Russians at 21%.

Unnecessary tempests like this will only make our allies in the UK and in Europe continue to question the leadership of the United States, just as they are currently doing in Australia. And the more questioning that goes on, the more likely those allies are to begin to look elsewhere for leadership. And once those bonds are broken, they may never be put back together. In Europe and in Asia, in just two months, Trump is managing to fray the alliances that were the backbone of the “American century” of American foreign policy dominance and leadership of the free world. Whether you think the US needs to continue to be the world’s policeman or not, backing away from that role and leaving a leadership vacuum will only make the world a more dangerous place not only for our allies around the world but for the US itself.