The muscular foreign policy of President Donald Trump -- including his recent removal of Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela -- is not about glory for glory’s sake. It is a clear expression of America First.
Ryan Grillo
Trump’s understanding of our national interests is simple and clear: Critical assets and strategic geography are core. Both must be secured for the defense and prosperity of American citizens.
It doesn’t stop there, and Trump understands this. It is something that has been true since 1776 — a strong America is good for the world. When the United States was weak or retreated from its responsibilities on the global stage, bad actors stepped into the abyss, disrupting peace.
Putting America first ensures we remain the global superpower.
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America doesn't have time to adhere to conventions that no longer serve our nation's interests. Our competitors for security and prosperity are aggressively seeking these objectives at our expense.
The post-Cold War consensus — like many 20th-century globalist institutions — has outlived its usefulness. With bipartisan support, it has held America back by putting global interests first, not America’s.
In the early 1990s, this was vital to asserting American values globally. But the world has changed. Not changing with it has compromised America's security and the security of its people.
American voters understand this. Their reelection of Trump is an endorsement of a foreign policy that puts American — not global — interests first. This is what Trump promised, and it is the clear prism through which every facet of his foreign policy can be understood.
It can and should be taken at face value. His administration's National Security Strategy states that the United States will work for a Western Hemisphere free of hostile foreign incursion. So no one should be surprised when that strategy is executed.
Similarly, when the strategy calls for energy dominance, strategic natural resources will be paramount. They are vital for powering every country's economy.
Russia and China have been aggressively asserting their energy security. China is actively pursuing a policy of domination of the global market for rare earths and critical minerals. The United States has no choice but to act.
Trump is neither deluded nor patient about this, nor should any American president be. He will fight fire with fire, defend our strategic energy assets and aggressively compete for safe access to them. This guided our strategy in Venezuela -- where Trump ordered a late-night raid and seizure of Maduro to stand trial in New York -- and will guide our approach to initiatives from Greenland to Africa to Southeast Asia.
Our traditional allies remain asleep and have not woken up to this reality. Europe’s pursuit of green energy policies has cost it dearly. The European Union devotes more time to energy regulation than energy security. And without security, Europe's economies have stagnated.
A timid approach to foreign policy means it cannot pursue energy security abroad. The president has made clear that the United States will not follow this path to energy insecurity and geopolitical weakness.
Greenland is symptomatic of Brussels’ failure to understand this reality. The giant North American island sits at the center of control of the Arctic, yet Europe has failed to grasp its value.
Russian and Chinese military powers aim to extend further down the North American Arctic through Greenland. They have no intention of stopping. They want to push into our trade and military lanes and eventually access Greenland’s mineral assets -- or worse, block our access to the Arctic.
Trump has upset Europe with his talk of taking Greenland. But that's only because he is telling the truth and not pulling punches.
Putting America first is a simple choice that meets the reality of our world. The outdated globalist model is over. Trump is taking America in the opposite direction, and the world will be far better off as a result.
Grillo is a partner at DCI, a public affairs firm in Washington. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
