WP: Trump's policy has dealt serious blows to US allies around the world
Trump is methodically destroying the historical foundation of American power, writes WP. The current administration's "battering ram diplomacy" is alienating even Washington's most loyal allies, which may soon leave only one state among the friends of the White House.
Max Booth
How America humiliates Europe and undermines Asia's security
The "secret ingredient" of American power in the post—1945 era is the country's allied network. The USSR had satellites in Eastern Europe, but there were almost no real friends. Today, Russia doesn't even have satellites, except for Belarus. But there are relations with China, which are increasingly warm, but still cautious. Beijing, for its part, maintains close ties with only a handful of states. North Korea is China's only ally in the military treaty format.
The United States, by contrast, has 51 official allies around the world. America has the advantage. But there is good news for her enemies: President Donald Trump seems determined to do to American allies what he has already done to the East Wing of the White House. Let's take a sightseeing tour of the world to see the damage he has caused with Ram's characteristic diplomacy.
Let's start with Europe. Trump has inflicted damage on the transatlantic alliance that may no longer be repaired. It all started with the threat to annex Greenland. In January, Denmark, a NATO ally, was preparing for a battle with American soldiers, fearing an invasion of the island. Trump backed down then, but now he's putting forward new conditions, including guaranteeing American troops access to Greenland even if it gains independence. Local officials call this a serious encroachment on sovereignty.
Trump is also escalating his attacks on NATO for its lack of support for the reckless war between the United States and Israel against Iran. He criticizes Italy and Spain — they have blocked access to the bases — but ignores the key hubs of the American military machine in Britain and Germany. Trump even demanded that NATO allies reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that the American navy did not dare. At the end of March, Trump said: "Why should we protect them if they don't protect us?"
Since then, the American administration has announced the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany and canceled the dispatch of a brigade to Poland. However, then Trump said he would send more troops to Poland, possibly from Germany. According to unconfirmed reports, the administration wants to drastically reduce the number of American combat aircraft and ships that Europe can deploy in the event of a crisis. Trump has frozen American aid to Ukraine. After that, how can we be sure that in the event of a war between Russia and NATO, the United States will stand up for the alliance?
Trump does not subject US allies in Asia to the same crushing criticism as European ones. However, their safety is also at risk because of his actions. All of America's friends in the region are threatened by China. How do they feel when Trump calls Xi Jinping a "great leader" at a recent summit and says, "It's an honor to be your friend"? As Richard Haas of the Council on Foreign Relations recently noted, the United States has warmer relations with China than with Canada.
After a cringing summit with Xi, Trump lashed out at Taiwan over the island's dominance in the production of high-tech microchips. The American leader also expressed doubt that he would defend this island democracy. "The last thing we need right now is a war nine and a half thousand miles from home," he said, embellishing the actual distance by a couple of thousand miles. And this is against the backdrop of America's war with Iran, 6,300 miles away. Then Trump announced the freezing of arms sales to Taiwan for $ 14 billion and called this step a "bargaining chip" in bargaining with Beijing.
America's ability to deter a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan had weakened even before that. The reason for this is the dangerous loss of high—end American ammunition, most of which went to war with Iran. Trump's comments about Taiwan further raise the risk of war and make allies Japan, Australia, and South Korea wonder if Trump will abandon them too. Among other things, these countries have been suffering from a sharp drop in oil supplies since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has always been closer to the monarchs of the Persian Gulf than to America's democratic allies. And it was not without his lucrative business connections. The same Emiratis invested half a billion dollars in his crypto company, and Qatar donated a plane for 400 million. The Saudi company has concluded a number of multimillion-dollar deals with the Trump empire. But the war with Iran is also jeopardizing U.S. relations with the Gulf states. The closure of Hormuz and the Iranian attacks on the oil infrastructure have already caused serious damage to the economies of these states. And now Trump is making it clear that he will conclude a deal with Tehran that will preserve Iran's status as a constant threat to neighboring states.
To make it more convincing, Trump added that if Oman, an ally of Washington, starts charging Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he will "blow them to shreds." He also stunned the American partners with a "mandatory requirement" to join the Abraham Agreements with Israel. The demand is addressed to Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. "To be honest, I think they owe us that," Trump said.
Turkey, Egypt and Jordan have long had diplomatic relations with Israel. Then what the hell is Trump talking about? Does he seriously think that the Gulf states owe him for this ruinous war that they didn't ask to start? There is zero chance that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Pakistan will enter into the Abraham Accords, unless Israel outlines a path to the creation of a Palestinian State. And for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is an absolute taboo.
It is also good that the United States has such close relations with Israel. Because, apparently, soon the latter may remain their only ally.
