Readers of this blog will know that in the ongoing battle between values and interests, I tend to support the interests side, but I view Trump’s foreign policy ideas as a caricature of “realism.” Here are a few more observations on the subject:
1. Attempts to impose American values by force almost always fail. Defenders of the Iraq War always cited to Germany and Japan as success stories, but those countries had at least some democratic traditions, and, more importantly, they were totally shattered and dependent on American goodwill after World War II. Iraq and Afghanistan were left mostly in place after the Bush campaigns. In the final analysis, the level of political and physical destruction caused by the war may well be the difference between success and failure when it comes to nation-building.
2. If you want to rely solely on American success at home to promote our values, don’t disparage our values and run the country into the ground. Trump doesn’t seem to understand what damage he is doing to our prestige abroad by essentially dismissing American exceptionalism and democratic values as a fraud.
3. Values and interests don’t usually conflict. Sometimes they clearly do, as in Bahrain, for example, but mostly they don’t. Our most important alliances are based on both.
4. Sometimes interests have to take precedence, but when they do, we should make it clear that we are engaged in a business relationship. Just because we have to engage with Duterte doesn’t mean we have to tell the world he’s doing a great job with his drug issue.
5. American values are a part of the foreign policy environment that cannot be dismissed. A true realist will keep American values in mind when he makes decisions; they are a factor that simply cannot be ignored. Trump will find this out if he tries to send money and troops to prop up despots in the Middle East.