Global conflict was so common and catastrophic early last century that world wars were numbered. But in more than 70 years there has been no World…
Global conflict was so common and catastrophic early last century that world wars were numbered. But in more than 70 years there has been no World War III, in large part because of what Secretary of Defense James Mattis described in his resignation letter this week as a «unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships» led by the United States.
Such coalitions triggered the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990-91, drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan after 9/11, and all but defeated the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria this year. America’s post-WWII foreign policy expanded trade, opened new markets and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into freedom.
But as the much-admired Pentagon chief makes clear in his letter, President Donald Trump sees the world very differently, and the two men are irreconcilably at odds. Mattis’s view involves respect for allies and standing up to malign actors. Under Trump’s «America First» view, allies are freeloaders, foreign aid dollars are better spent rebuilding at home and authoritarian leaders are to be admired, if not solicited.
That view was on full display this week with Trump’s Twitter announcement to pull U.
