America First is the Only Viable Foreign Policy - Opinion

Colin Slechta, CA - Writer 

The Trump administration released its National Security Strategy earlier this month, which is a document that defines American foreign policy interests and how these ends should be realized. The document champions America First principles, advocating for reindustrialization, hemispheric defense, and stability in the American sphere of influence. The conception that America is a “post-national” state, lacking a real telos outside of spreading liberalism, has done irreparable damage to our interests in many real ways. This includes deindustrialization and alignment with a service economy, both of which have compromised national security. Our Industrial base, which won the Second World War, is now a shadow of its former self. Trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives were spent chasing non-existent WMDs in Iraq, which is now an Iranian client state. Mass immigration has not only brought in crime but has fundamentally threatened American national identity and given birth to warring ethnic disputes across the country. The administration reviews and rebukes all these mistakes, making the National Security Strategy an unequivocal asset to American foreign policy.

The introduction, titled How American 'Strategy' Went Astray, attacks free trade for hollowing out the American industrial base and repudiates the persecution of pointless wars fought on the periphery of the American Empire. The administration asserts that American strategy should be centered around the safety of Americans. This is a reversal of the aggressive interventionism that has plagued past Republican administrations, which were seemingly more intent on waging ideological crusades for liberal democracy in the sands of Iraq than protecting Americans.

The first priority listed is border security. The words “The Era of Mass Migration Is Over,” in bold, precede the argument that sovereignty is challenged by mass immigration, as foreign populations retain distinct identities and loyalty to their homelands. The document reads: “In countries throughout the world, mass migration has strained domestic resources, increased violence and other crime, weakened social cohesion, distorted labor markets, and undermined national security.” A secure border is asserted as the first prerequisite for national security.  

A new vision of the Monroe Doctrine is offered, coined the “Trump Corollary,” which seeks to shield Latin America from Chinese influence. The Monroe Doctrine historically sought to protect American interests in the New World from European intervention, creating a powerful defensive bloc that permitted America to advance its interests unmolested by foreign actors. Today, China views a foothold in Latin America as a desirable goal and sees Venezuela as a means to this end. China has demonstrated that a critical part of its strategy is to control critical Latin American infrastructure, such as commercial ports and energy assets. China continues to invest substantial sums in these efforts while exerting increasing political pressure on Latin American governments. China supplies Venezuela with material aid, including riot-control equipment, and supports the hostile Maduro government. Most American defense strategists prioritize fighting China in their backyard, mainly Taiwan and the rest of the first island chain, yet Chinese influence in Latin America is seldom recognized as a serious threat. The Trump Corollary asserts that America’s rear in Latin America must be protected in order to adequately defend Taiwan.

Policy towards Europe shows a sharp break from previous administrations. Europe is criticized as an unreliable ally in the future due to demographic change from mass immigration, and, as a result, it should be forced to bear a greater burden in protecting its continent. Around 40 percent of births in France and the United Kingdom have at least one foreign-born parent. The growth of a non-European diaspora in Europe threatens the identity of the continent as a whole and, by extension, the NATO alliance. How can an alliance founded on a shared civilizational identity expect to remain intact when its constituent parts abandon said identity? The document reads: “Over the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European. As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter.” Europe today is a key ally of the United States because of shared ancestral and cultural ties. These ties are threatened by mass immigration, so a policy plan of overt American support of nationalist parties such as the AfD in Germany, the National Rally in France, and Reform UK in the United Kingdom is offered.

The pivot away from the Middle East and North Africa is justified in two ways. First, American interests have been secured in the Middle East. Iran has been crippled by bombings earlier this year on their nuclear program, and their network of proxies has been dismantled ever since Oct. 7th. Second, American reliance on Gulf oil has plummeted due to diversified energy supplies, which disincentivize an American presence in the Middle East. It is stressed that this is not abandoning the region, but rather withdrawing from the costly, forever wars of past administrations.

The National Security Strategy is an overwhelmingly positive development for American interests. It highlights the reasons for American decline, including the loss of its manufacturing base. It provides a new vision of national security in which the Western Hemisphere is turned into a stronghold against Chinese interests. It attacks demographic replacement throughout Europe as a threat to our interests. As it stands, all of this is just ink on paper. It reflects the views of a faction of the State Department and national security apparatus, struggling for influence. For this to mean anything, deliberate policy action must be taken to forge an American century.