Trump’s national security strategy
The US obviously, with a person like Trump at the helm, would not at all let the Chinese to expand their influence
The writer is a political, economy and security analyst and a governance and public policy practitioner: He can be contacted at razapkhan@yahoo.com
US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy (NSS) is a relatively new approach to protect the state, its citizens and key interests. The key features of the new NSS include: identification of an extremely dangerous world characterised by rival states and non-state actors; zero-sum international system, lack of trust in universal values and deep faith in American nationalism. The various features of Trump’s NSS have been undergirded by the slogan ‘America First’. Trump’s security strategists have placed economic security at the core of new security strategy.
There are four important pillars of the Trump NSS. These include protecting the country and people, promoting American prosperity, preserving peace through strength and advancing American influence. The last two could prove to be profoundly problematic. Trump’s strategy is to seek security at the altar of other states, whereas history bears testimony to the fact that peace could only be preserved through establishing cooperative associations between and among states. It must also be acknowledged that anarchy has been a key characteristic of the international system. For the international system to be stable there, in the opinion of a section of theorists and experts, ought to be a ‘hegemon’.
As Washington already has sweeping influence around the world, by promoting American influence Trump actually means to circumvent and counter the growing influence of other countries, particularly China. On its part Beijing through initiatives like the One Belt One Road and economically integrating the Eurasian landmass wants to dominate these regions. The US obviously, with a person like Trump at the helm, would not at all let the Chinese to expand their influence as this would mean curtailment of Washington’s sway.
The Trump administration must be given credit for admitting in no uncertain terms that economic security is the heart of NSS. There is a lot of substance in this argument. Emphasising a balance in US economic ties with other countries, specifically China vividly demonstrates the profound concern within the US policymakers regarding the ever-increasing economic prowess of China. The new NSS aims at reducing the trade deficits, particularly with China and has said that Trump wants to level the playing field for American companies. Circumventing China economically by Washington does not augur well for Pakistan, one of the closest allies of Beijing and with whom it is engaged in giving a practical shape to the multi-billion dollar CPEC. Against this backdrop the US opposition to CPEC under President Trump becomes more understandable. By attempting to reduce its trade deficits Washington may politically and strategically destabilise other regions, which ultimately would boomerang on the US.
Ostensibly President Trump has on his mind the incompatibility of US-China economic relations which have been to Washington’s utter disadvantage. In the words of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, “the greatest weapon is our strong GDP.” This is an important aspect of the new NSS. The statement holds a lot of water because without a strong GDP the US would not have been able to sustain its military superiority in the world and will not in the future. The Soviet Union despite having more conventional and nuclear weapons than the US did not evade dismemberment because a strong military needs a sturdy economy.
There are key areas of security which the new US NSS has ignored. These include, inter alia addressing the issue of climate change and protecting human rights. President Trump’s NSS is devoid of moral authority. The US superiority has not only been due to its unmatched economic and military power but the belief in moral principles of freedom, justice and democracy. The US could only have comprehensive national security when the most powerful state on the surface of earth shuns its zero-sum approach and acts upon the very ideals which the great founding fathers of America had pronounced nearly 250 years back.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2017.
There are four important pillars of the Trump NSS. These include protecting the country and people, promoting American prosperity, preserving peace through strength and advancing American influence. The last two could prove to be profoundly problematic. Trump’s strategy is to seek security at the altar of other states, whereas history bears testimony to the fact that peace could only be preserved through establishing cooperative associations between and among states. It must also be acknowledged that anarchy has been a key characteristic of the international system. For the international system to be stable there, in the opinion of a section of theorists and experts, ought to be a ‘hegemon’.
As Washington already has sweeping influence around the world, by promoting American influence Trump actually means to circumvent and counter the growing influence of other countries, particularly China. On its part Beijing through initiatives like the One Belt One Road and economically integrating the Eurasian landmass wants to dominate these regions. The US obviously, with a person like Trump at the helm, would not at all let the Chinese to expand their influence as this would mean curtailment of Washington’s sway.
The Trump administration must be given credit for admitting in no uncertain terms that economic security is the heart of NSS. There is a lot of substance in this argument. Emphasising a balance in US economic ties with other countries, specifically China vividly demonstrates the profound concern within the US policymakers regarding the ever-increasing economic prowess of China. The new NSS aims at reducing the trade deficits, particularly with China and has said that Trump wants to level the playing field for American companies. Circumventing China economically by Washington does not augur well for Pakistan, one of the closest allies of Beijing and with whom it is engaged in giving a practical shape to the multi-billion dollar CPEC. Against this backdrop the US opposition to CPEC under President Trump becomes more understandable. By attempting to reduce its trade deficits Washington may politically and strategically destabilise other regions, which ultimately would boomerang on the US.
Ostensibly President Trump has on his mind the incompatibility of US-China economic relations which have been to Washington’s utter disadvantage. In the words of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, “the greatest weapon is our strong GDP.” This is an important aspect of the new NSS. The statement holds a lot of water because without a strong GDP the US would not have been able to sustain its military superiority in the world and will not in the future. The Soviet Union despite having more conventional and nuclear weapons than the US did not evade dismemberment because a strong military needs a sturdy economy.
There are key areas of security which the new US NSS has ignored. These include, inter alia addressing the issue of climate change and protecting human rights. President Trump’s NSS is devoid of moral authority. The US superiority has not only been due to its unmatched economic and military power but the belief in moral principles of freedom, justice and democracy. The US could only have comprehensive national security when the most powerful state on the surface of earth shuns its zero-sum approach and acts upon the very ideals which the great founding fathers of America had pronounced nearly 250 years back.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2017.