TRUMP TRIPS ON POLICY ABROAD
On his debut, president bows hypocritically to Saudi Arabia but talks tough to NATO
At the beginning of his first overseas trip, President Trump spoke in Saudi Arabia. Four days later, he spoke in Belgium. The difference in tone between the two speeches is striking for what it says about his evolving foreign policy — and whom he regards as America’s true friends.
Saudi Arabia has been a difficult ally. It is one of the world’s most repressive regimes. It promotes a fundamentalist strain of Islam — Wahhabism — that has inspired countless terrorists. It is the homeland of 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers. There is no suggestion that the Saudi government sanctioned the attack, and the Saudis have cracked down on terrorism since, but wealthy Saudis are still suspected of supporting extremist groups.
DICTATOR FRIENDLY
Trump had lashed out at the Saudis. “Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays,” he wrote in a Facebook post last June. In a presidential debate, he again attacked Hillary Clinton for taking money from “people that kill women and treat women horribly.” He also suggested on the campaign trail that “very secret” documents would prove that the Saudis were behind 9/11.
Yet in his Riyadh speech, there was not a hint of criticism of Saudi Arabia. Trump began with a tribute to the Saudi-U.S. alliance, and pointedly promised not to preach about human rights abuses: “We are not here to lecture — we are not here to tell other people how to live. .... Instead, we are here to offer partnership — based on shared interests and values.”
These soothing words were accompanied by pictures of Trump and his entourage partying with Saudi royals. Contrast this with images from Trump’s meetings with European leaders. From his test-of-wills handshake with France’s new president, Emmanuel Macron, to shoving the prime minister of Montenegro, Milo Dukanović, there was a notable lack of warmth.
Trump has been critical of America’s NATO partners, suggesting that the alliance may be “obsolete” and complaining that the other nations weren’t paying their fair share. And in Brussels, unlike in Riyadh, he did not bury old antagonisms.
“NATO members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations, for 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying ... for their defense,” Trump lectured, while allied heads-of-state squirmed. “This is not fair to ... the United States. And many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years.”
DEMOCRATIC BULLY
There were no tributes to shared trans-Atlantic values, no remarks on the history of the trans-Atlantic alliance, which has been the most important in history. Trump did not even affirm, as expected, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the bedrock of NATO, which says than an attack on one member is an attack on all. It should come as no surprise that on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the days when Europe can depend on others are “over to a certain extent.”
Should NATO allies spend more for defense? Sure. But, as noted by a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, “23 countries increased defense spending last year. Eight countries will spend 2% on military next year. All allies committed in 2014 to spend at least 2% on defense by 2024.”
Trump did not acknowledge this progress, nor did he thank the allies for sending troops to fight and die alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He even added a bizarre demand for back payment of defense dollars. We should be grateful that he did not present Macron with a bill for D-Day.
While berating our NATO allies, Trump had next to nothing to say about the Russian threat; he argued NATO must focus on “terrorism and immigration” instead. European Council President Donald Tusk emerged from his meeting with Trump to say there is no “common position” on Russia, because Trump is much softer on Vladimir Putin than Russia’s neighbors would like.
Trump prefers autocrats to democrats. He views Saudis as truer friends than Europeans. And he doesn’t see Russia as a threat. In his first foray abroad, Trump displayed views radically at odds with his predecessors.