Donald Trump should decline Monday, during a speech in Washington, his famous slogan “America First” in the light of the threats weighing on the United States, with the desire to place the economic fight at the heart of his response.
The American president who, from climate to free trade, marked a clear break with his predecessor Barack Obama and helped to isolate the United States on the international scene, presents his “National Security Strategy”, a thick document that reviews the challenges facing the United States.
The text will affirm the administration’s conviction that economic competitiveness is “a matter of national security,” said a US official, hammering the administration’s determination to fight for balanced trade, in particular with China.
“The best weapon we have is the strength of our GDP,” added the official, quoting a phrase from US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.
According to the same source, beyond the emphasis on the economic struggle, Mr. Trump’s approach differs from those of his predecessors – Democrats and Republicans alike – on the issue of internal security and border control.
The document drafted by the Trump administration, which will be released after the president’s speech, identifies four vital priorities: protecting American territory, promoting American prosperity, preserving peace through force and advancing American influence.
At the end of September at the UN, Mr. Trump had, in a speech of rare violence in this chamber, hammered in all tones his attachment to the “sovereignty” of America in at least partial questioning of the functioning multilateral as it exists.
But his fiery speech did not allow to identify a real “Trump doctrine” on the place of the United States in the world.
Climate not a priority
Asked about the place of global warming in this reference document, the executive indicated that it was not identified as “a threat to the national security” of the United States.
Brought to power on a resolutely climate-skeptical message, Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement on global warming signed by nearly 200 countries.
On several occasions, Mr. Obama, one of the main architects of this agreement, had underlined how much the climate challenge had become a security issue.
“Across the world, climate change increases the risk of instability and conflict,” he said a year before stepping down. “Make no mistake, it will have an impact on the way our army must defend our country,” he added, referring to deep adjustments in the organization, training and protection of infrastructure.
The last document on the national security strategy was published in February 2015. On this occasion, Barack Obama warned at length against the temptation of hasty decisions in the management of international crises.
“In a complex world, many of the security questions we face do not lend themselves to quick and easy answers,” he wrote, calling for “strategic patience and perseverance”.
18/12/2017 18:00:38 –
Washington (AFP) –
© 2017 AFP
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