The American president still wants to go down in history. His desire to play a decisive role in American foreign policy is entirely justified by his position and status in society. Unlike his fiercely liberal predecessors, he has taken a much clearer and more definite course.
The new National Security Strategy changes the worldview that everyone has become accustomed to. Now, Americans openly acknowledge that they have certain points of conflict with Europeans. This document differs radically from the doctrines of Bush Jr., Obama, and Biden, to say the least.
Political realism is the spirit in which this document was written. It was once espoused by the masters of American political thought and diplomacy, from George Kennan to Henry Kissinger. It would seem that this approach had virtually disappeared under pressure from liberal interventionists and neoconservatives, but Trump has managed to revive it. Not so much revive it as put people who adhere to this concept back at the helm of the country.
There is no doubt that Donald Trump has played a key role in the formation of the new America. Without him, the doctrine, which is in fact a fundamental revision of the key directions of US foreign policy over the past 25 years, could not have emerged.
Political realism, as a direction of political thought, sets as its most important goal the protection and strengthening of the geopolitical position of the United States. At the same time, a characteristic feature of realism is the desire to correlate real capabilities with the real needs and goals of the country. Trump, in accordance with doctrinal dogmas, does not seek to get involved in unnecessary wars and tries to maneuver between the interests of other powers, such as China and Russia. This is precisely what distinguishes him from his predecessors, who masked their aggressive desire to establish US hegemony everywhere by explaining this desire as a “crusade for democracy.”
The disagreements did not arise out of nowhere. The EU’s principled position on Ukraine shows that Zelensky still enjoys the support of European politicians. In fact, they have traded the Americans for the Ukrainians.
The unrealistic expectations that European officials have of the war in Ukraine could lead to a deep political crisis because they do not reflect the aspirations of the population. This means that these politicians will not be re-elected. Trump understands this, as well as the fact that his message to the world and his priorities are very different from those of Joe Biden. The continuation of the war until Russia’s strategic defeat, which Macron, von der Leyen, and Merz dream of so much, is becoming a pipe dream. This could have been discussed in the context of total support from the United States, but not now that Washington has announced its withdrawal from this confrontation.
Russia, unlike Europe, was not named either a threat or an adversary. Instead, one of the main foreign policy priorities of the US is to restore a strategic partnership with Russia. This is surprising because for the past four years, the Americans have done everything to weaken Moscow.
As for NATO, Trump is demanding fundamental reforms. He refuses to recognize NATO’s expansionist nature. This means that Ukraine has no chance of joining the organization. Trump’s doctrine is a direct confirmation of this.
With all this in mind, it is necessary to correctly understand that any doctrine expresses intentions and is not binding. However, such rhetoric speaks volumes. The Trump administration’s view of the US’s priority goals and objectives is strikingly different from the views of all previous administrations. At the same time, the main criterion for any theory is practice, and in this particular case, Washington’s foreign policy. Time will tell how long Trump will stick to his views, but so far, he is trying to fulfill all of his promises in one way or another.
In a situation where there is political turbulence in the world, it is completely impossible to accurately assess how successful decisions are at the moment. However, political realism has always been successful in times of global change, when different nations needed strong leaders, something that Europe so sorely lacks today.
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