United States President Donald Trump is outlining a new
national security strategy that refocuses the US's relationship with the
rest of the world, essentially implementing his “America First” mantra
on a global scale.
It envisions nations in constant
competition, reverses Obama-era warnings on climate change, and affirms
that the US will unilaterally defend its sovereignty, even if that means
risking existing agreements with other countries that have dominated
the United States' foreign policy since the Cold War.
The
Republican president, who ran on a platform of “America First,” will
detail his plan on Monday, one that if fully implemented could sharply
alter US international relationships.
The plan,
according to senior administration officials who offered a preview on
Sunday, is to focus on four main themes: protecting the homeland;
promoting American prosperity; demonstrating peace through strength; and
advancing American influence in an ever-competitive world.
Trump's
doctrine holds that nation states are in perpetual competition and that
the US must fight on all fronts to protect and defend its sovereignty
from friend and foe alike.
While the administration
often says that “America First” does not mean “America Alone,” the
national security strategy to be presented by Trump will make clear that
the United States will stand up for itself even if that means acting
unilaterally or alienating others on issues like trade, climate change
and immigration, according to people familiar with the strategy.
The
last such strategy document, prepared by then-President Barack Obama in
2015, declared climate change an “urgent and growing threat to our
national security.”
A senior official said the Trump
plan removes that determination following the administration's threat to
pull out of the Paris climate accord but will mention the importance of
environmental stewardship.
Despite the risk of potential isolation presented by Trump's strategy, its fundamentals are not a surprise. The Associated Press last week reviewed excerpts of a late draft of the roughly 70-page document and spoke to two people familiar with it.
The
draft emphasises that US economic security is national security and
that economic security must be ensured with military might. And they
said it would stress the US is interested only in relationships with
other countries, including alliances like Nato, that are fair and
reciprocal.
Trump, according to the senior officials, is also expected to discuss threats he'll deem as “rogue regimes,” like North Korea.
Others,
like Russia and China, are deemed “revisionist powers,” who aim to
change the status quo (Moscow and its actions with Ukraine and Georgia,
and Beijing in the South China Sea).
Trump is also
planning to renew his call for the member states in the United Nations
and Nato to spend more on defence, saying that the United States will
insist on its alliances being fair and reciprocal.
The
senior officials said the document refers to China as a “strategic
competitor,” rather than the stronger accusation of “economic
aggression” previewed last week by National Security Adviser H.R.
McMaster.
Despite international challenges, the document cites emerging opportunities to advance American interests in the Middle East.
“Some
of our partners are working together to reject radical ideologies and
key leaders are calling for a rejection of Islamist extremism and
violence,” it says. “Encouraging political stability and sustainable
prosperity would contribute to dampening the conditions that fuel
sectarian grievances.”
The strategy document asserts
that “for generations the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
has been understood as the prime irritant preventing peace and
prosperity in the region. Today, the threats from radical jihadist
terrorist organisations and the threat from Iran are creating the
realisation that Israel is not the cause of the region's problems.
States have increasingly found common interests with Israel in
confronting common threats.”
The criticism of Russia will come as a break from recent warm words between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The leaders have spoken twice in four days, with Trump calling Putin to thank him for kind words about the US stock market and Putin reaching out to Trump to thank the CIA for help in stopping a terror plot in St. Petersburg.
The
strategy document will not make explicit reference to Russian attempts
to meddle in the US political system, but an official said it would
highlight the importance of ensuring the resilience of US democratic
institutions.
The early draft of the strategy reviewed by the AP
lamented that America had put itself at a disadvantage by entering into
multinational agreements, such as those aimed at combating climate
change, and introducing domestic policies to implement them.
The senior officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plan before the president's remarks.
