America First Is Just Code for Unilateral Belligerence

Given America’s growing empire, it would certainly be nice if a president would pull back—and try and change the world by example instead of picking fights or aiding wars. But is that what President Donald Trump is doing, as his cheerleaders claim?

Not by a mile, I note in my column at The Week.

There is much less than meets the eye to Trump’s much-hyped pullouts from Afghanistan and Iraq. Meanwhile, his lovefest with the dictator of North Korea is proving to be a complete bust. He is also tearing up existing treaties with Iran and America’s trading partners while boosting defense spending and cutting domestic spending—the exact opposite of what he’d promised to do during his campaign.

In light of this, it is a triumph of hope over reality to believe that Trump’s America First foreign policy would bring peace and prosperity to the globe. Indeed, its purpose is to force other countries to do America’s bidding without having to go through multilateral institutions or consulting America’s allies.

Go here to read the column.