Trump’s Foreign Trip Sends Strong Message That American Leadership is Back
President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East and Europe is framing the parameters of his foreign policy style.
That style is characterized by forcefully stating American priorities based on strong traditional alliances, religious inclusiveness, and national interest. In his speech to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, Trump called this approach “principled realism.”
Unlike the Obama years, Trump’s first four months in office have shown no trace of apology for the history of the United States and the global role that it plays.
This is an important — indeed refreshing — reversal. It has delivered a clear and unequivocal message about American foreign policy under Trump.
How that message is received depends on the context.
There was never any doubt that Trump would have a hard time getting a fair hearing for his policies in Europe, or anywhere else where the local media take their cue from the coverage of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN.
However, in Saudi Arabia and in Israel — two allies who suffered great decline in their relations with the U.S. during the Obama years — Trump’s message of cooperation and solidarity in the face of terrorism was tremendously well received.
From a public diplomacy point of view, the absence of appointments and strategic public diplomacy directives from within the State Department to reach foreign publics has observers scratching their heads.
Yet if you take a step back, whether facing friends or skeptics, Trump is engaging in a classic public diplomacy exercise, whereby his public actions signal and advance his policy intentions.
The symbolism of Trump’s trip matches with the priorities he has consistently articulated since his presidential campaign.
His choice of countries for his first foreign trip is bold and displays his top concerns of reaching out to longstanding U.S. allies and of building coalitions against the greatest security threats, against “fanatical violence,” and a potentially nuclear-armed Iran.
The horrific bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Monday underscored the urgency of the president’s anti-terrorist foreign agenda.
“There is still much work to be done,” Trump told an unprecedented gathering of 50 Muslim-Arab leaders at the opening of the Saudi Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
“That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamists and the Islamic terror of all kinds. We must stop what they are doing to inspire, because they do nothing to inspire but kill, and we are having a very profound effect if you look at what has happened recently.”
Trump continued: “It means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.”
In Europe, Trump is signaling his seriousness about enlisting in this endeavor some of his most ardent critics, from Pope Francis to newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, to leaders of NATO, the European Union, and the G-7.
Europeans have been apoplectic about Trump since his election.
This is in part because he is pressing them to live up to their NATO budget commitments, which makes them very nervous — but also simply because of who he is, much in the way the American left has reacted.
Yet, the message Trump has consistently delivered at every stop is that American leadership is back and ready to assert itself in the fight against the scourge of international terrorism.
Taking a break from Washington has allowed the president to get that message out.
https://stream.org/trumps-foreign-trip-sends-strong-message-american-leadership-back/
That style is characterized by forcefully stating American priorities based on strong traditional alliances, religious inclusiveness, and national interest. In his speech to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, Trump called this approach “principled realism.”
Unlike the Obama years, Trump’s first four months in office have shown no trace of apology for the history of the United States and the global role that it plays.
This is an important — indeed refreshing — reversal. It has delivered a clear and unequivocal message about American foreign policy under Trump.
How that message is received depends on the context.
There was never any doubt that Trump would have a hard time getting a fair hearing for his policies in Europe, or anywhere else where the local media take their cue from the coverage of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN.
However, in Saudi Arabia and in Israel — two allies who suffered great decline in their relations with the U.S. during the Obama years — Trump’s message of cooperation and solidarity in the face of terrorism was tremendously well received.
From a public diplomacy point of view, the absence of appointments and strategic public diplomacy directives from within the State Department to reach foreign publics has observers scratching their heads.
Yet if you take a step back, whether facing friends or skeptics, Trump is engaging in a classic public diplomacy exercise, whereby his public actions signal and advance his policy intentions.
The symbolism of Trump’s trip matches with the priorities he has consistently articulated since his presidential campaign.
His choice of countries for his first foreign trip is bold and displays his top concerns of reaching out to longstanding U.S. allies and of building coalitions against the greatest security threats, against “fanatical violence,” and a potentially nuclear-armed Iran.
The horrific bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Monday underscored the urgency of the president’s anti-terrorist foreign agenda.
“There is still much work to be done,” Trump told an unprecedented gathering of 50 Muslim-Arab leaders at the opening of the Saudi Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
“That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamists and the Islamic terror of all kinds. We must stop what they are doing to inspire, because they do nothing to inspire but kill, and we are having a very profound effect if you look at what has happened recently.”
Trump continued: “It means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.”
In Europe, Trump is signaling his seriousness about enlisting in this endeavor some of his most ardent critics, from Pope Francis to newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, to leaders of NATO, the European Union, and the G-7.
Europeans have been apoplectic about Trump since his election.
This is in part because he is pressing them to live up to their NATO budget commitments, which makes them very nervous — but also simply because of who he is, much in the way the American left has reacted.
Yet, the message Trump has consistently delivered at every stop is that American leadership is back and ready to assert itself in the fight against the scourge of international terrorism.
Taking a break from Washington has allowed the president to get that message out.
https://stream.org/trumps-foreign-trip-sends-strong-message-american-leadership-back/
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We had strong American leadership for eight years and now all this trip just showed is that Trump is nothing more the a very rude, arrogant and spoiled brat of a child among real adult leaders of other nations. He had a very, very low bar to clear and on some occasions he barely made it over it by not screwing up. However his speech to NATO was a complete disaster and an embarrassment in front of the world. He showed, once again, that he does not have the slightest idea of how NATO is funded or what the 2% goal even means. He also stood in front of a large, twisted part of one of the World Trade Centers and then shit on all of our allies who came to help us after 911 by sacrificing their own troops and fighting in Afghanistan because that is what NATO means. An attack on one is an attack on all and he didn't even acknowledge that or their sacrifices for that and us!
Instead he criticized them for things that didn't even make any sense. All NATO nations have until 2024 (not 2017) to bring their share of their national GDP spending on defense to 2%, but that doesn't mean we get any of that money or that it goes into some sort of central NATO bank somewhere. They keep the money and spend it on their own defense. Yet he can't seem to get that concept and truth through his helmet of hair and into his brain! They like Germany, do not owe us millions of dollars! None of them do! It does not work that way!
All Trump really accomplished on this trip was to show to everyone that the real leader of the free world is Angela Merkel, because he is just too much of a child and in way to far over his head to be up to the task.
Another satire piece.
Some satires are funnier than others. The more they pretend to be true, the less entertaining they are.
Who is Trump leading? Traditionally the president of the United States leads our allies, Western Europe, Canada, Austrailia, Mexico. ALL of those nations or groups have issues with Donald Trump.
So again, who is he leading? Repeated surveys of people in our allied nations showed President Obama was popular. Only in our adversary nations was he unpopular. The opposite may prove to be true with our new president*.
Who is he leading? Crooks, cheaters, liars, extortionists, misogynists, racists, islamaphobes, homophobes, transphobes, xenophobia, dullards, ignoramuses. Who'd I miss?
You missed yourself and all the progressive lefties here and across America as he's the President of all Americans. As you insist Obama was our President, you have to accept that Trump is yours as well. Be consistent.
"That style is characterized by forcefully stating American priorities based on strong traditional alliances, religious inclusiveness, and national interest. In his speech to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, Trump called this approach “principled realism.”
Unlike the Obama years, Trump’s first four months in office have shown no trace of apology for the history of the United States and the global role that it plays.
This is an important — indeed refreshing — reversal. It has delivered a clear and unequivocal message about American foreign policy under Trump."
Trump is not my President. He belongs to Putin.
If you are an American citizen then Trumo is your President. Period. Remember when you all told us that about the anointed one, Barack Hussein Obama? Turnabout is fair play. Trump is your President.
He's my President, just like my hemorrhoid is my hemorrhoid.
He's my President, just like my hemorrhoid is my hemorrhoid.
It's official. A partially chewed piece of biscuit can indeed make its way out of a human nose when sudden, vigorous laughter occurs.
More bitterness all throughout the response to this seed regarding the leadership Trump has that obama clearly did not.
No bitterness XX....Simply pointing out that the article is really nothing but propaganda for Trump.
The nonsense spouted about NATO in the article is simply a lie...
No matter now much evidence there is that the lie being told by the RW they and you will keep spouting it.