The problem isn\u2019t just that we\u2019re losing friends, it\u2019s that we\u2019re creating potential enemies.<\/b>
\nSure, President Trump\u2019s erratic foreign policy has alienated allies, shredded the U.S.-led rules-based global order, nudged Canada closer to China and turned NATO into something resembling your uncle\u2019s Facebook page after someone brings up politics.
Other than that? Everything\u2019s terrific.
Just kidding. It might be even worse than we think.
The problem isn\u2019t just that we\u2019re losing friends, it\u2019s that we\u2019re creating potential enemies. And not just the kind who boo the national anthem at sporting events, but the kind who someday might decide that America is the villain in their personal origin story, right before the montage where ominous music starts playing.
If this sounds abstract or alarmist, it\u2019s worth noting that it has already happened.
Osama bin Laden \u2014 who was once, awkwardly, sort of an informal ally against the Soviets \u2014 was radicalized largely by the Gulf War and the stationing of American troops in Saudi Arabia.
This is notable because the Gulf War \u2014 unlike the subsequent Iraq War \u2014 had international approval, a clear mission and an exit strategy. By war standards, it was practically a model U.N. bake sale. And yet it still produced consequences that reshaped America\u2019s future, resulting in 9\/11 and a couple of not-so-tidy wars.
There\u2019s another uncomfortable part people tend to forget: the timing. The Gulf War ended in 1991. Sept. 11, 2001, happened 10 years later. The shoe did not drop immediately. It sat there. Quietly. Waiting.
The lesson is not just that military interventions can cause backlash, but that even the ones we conduct \u201cby the book\u201d can still leave people angry years later. Which brings us to the present.
Trump has claimed there is a \u201cframework of a deal\u201d with NATO in regard to Greenland, which \u2014 if it holds \u2014 is good news because you should never underestimate people who can ski and shoot at the same time.
During a recent visit to Greenland, U.S. lawmakers reportedly encountered \u201ca level of anti-Americanism that stunned and depressed them.\u201d Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned this could lead to \u201cretaliatory measures\u201d against the U.S., which probably means boycotts. Or harsh looks. Or maybe more.
Now, if the idea of U.S. troops getting bogged down in the snow outside of Nuuk sounds ridiculous \u2014 or if the idea of radicalizing stoic Danes seems too fanciful \u2014 keep in mind that Greenland is merely one of the fights we\u2019ve decided to pick.
We could just as easily be creating enemies much closer to home \u2014 or even at home.
Some may be natural-born U.S. citizens swept up in a fiery politics of permanent resistance. Others may be Somali Americans in Minnesota whose families are mistreated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the relatives of a Cuban immigrant whose death at an El Paso detention facility was ruled a homicide, or a hypothetical Venezuelan kid whose father was killed in the operation to exfiltrate Nicolas Maduro.
These are not people who will submit formal complaints. These are people who will hold grudges.
This doesn\u2019t mean America should curl up into a ball and never do anything again. But it probably means we should pause before assuming that today\u2019s rhetorical flex or tough-guy sound bite magically disappears once the news cycle moves on.
Because if even the best-laid plans (like the Gulf War) evoke backlash, imagine dealing with the fallout from policies that are impulsive, performative and seemingly designed to irritate as many people as possible.
Just put yourself in the other guy\u2019s shoes.
How would Americans react if another country kidnapped a political leader from our capital, or even threatened to invade the United States?
There would be outrage, the emergency return of Lee Greenwood and \u201cfreedom fries.\u201d And that would be before things get all \u201ckinetic.\u201d
Now imagine opening social media and seeing a map where someone else\u2019s flag has been pasted onto your territory.
This is not how you win hearts and minds. This is how you manufacture righteous indignation and anger.
In this regard, it doesn\u2019t matter if Trump decides to walk down from his provocative rhetoric; much of the damage is already done.
Rhetoric that treats other nations as roughly equivalent to hotel properties is not free of charge. It sends a message that trust is optional and sovereignty is revocable. Sooner or later, someone is going to decide that the United States is less a partner than a recurring antagonist in their national storyline.
Here in the real world, you don\u2019t have to go looking for trouble \u2014 and you sure as heck don\u2019t have to go in search of monsters to destroy.
Some of the most dangerous threats have a way of finding you.
Matt K. Lewis is the author of \u201cFilthy Rich Politicians\u201d and \u201cToo Dumb to Fail.\u201d<\/p>\n