Tweetstorms and other erratic behavior are no joke: Our view
President Trump appears to like Saudi Arabia, a nation he lavished with praise during last month’s visit. And he’s clearly got a thing for Russia.
But Germany, the United Kingdom and other vital allies? Those seem to be a problem for the president. After criticizing Germany last week, Trump needlessly singled out the mayor of London for abuse with derogatory tweets on Sunday and Monday.
Trump lambasted Mayor Sadiq Khan for not adequately fomenting panic after the latest terror attack in London. Making matters worse, he took Khan’s words out of context. When Khan urged Londoners not to be alarmed, he was not downplaying the terrorist threat. Rather, he was addressing concerns about the increased police presence on London streets.
Trump’s latest ill-informed outburst came at a time when the British were already in a snit over American behavior, particular U. S. leaks of British intelligence about the terror attack in Manchester.
What’s more, it is not just the British, and the Germans before them, whom Trump is offending and alienating. Politico reported this week that Trump, without even informing his own national security team, removed language from a recent speech in Brussels reasserting America’s commitment to defend its NATO allies. And he brusquely rejected appeals from European leaders to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement.
Why is Trump going out of his way to harm relations with America’s most important and trusted allies while going out of his way to coddle Russia and other authoritarian regimes? That’s unclear, but his actions inexplicably undermine U. S. credibility in the world while destabilizing key regions.
This was illustrated Monday when Saudi Arabia and a host of other Arab nations broke diplomatic ties with neighboring Qatar, a move that likely would not have happened had Trump not made Saudi Arabia his first overseas visit as president and seemingly gave it a green light to flex its muscles in the region.
If Trump’s Persian Gulf moves are troubling, his European misadventures are terrifying. His refusal to back up America’s NATO allies, while also picking fights with individual members, could well be seen in Moscow as an invitation for Russia to intervene in the Baltic region and other parts of Europe much as it has in Ukraine.
Trump’s tweetstorms and other erratic behavior should not be seen as a shakeup of a moribund status quo. Nor should they be seen as harmless. They are dangerous and destabilizing misadventures in foreign policy.
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