Forget exceptionalism, it’s just straight up “might makes right”
by digby
Trump’s interview will air during half time at the Super Bowl:
It’s true that the US has not been so innocent. But our leaders don’t usually treat that fact as a point of pride or use it to excuse others for doing bad things. They’ve been hypocrites on the subject — but remember, hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.Trump believes that even pretending to be moral is a weakness and that a great nation should makes its immorality and cruelty known to the world so “nobody will mess with us.”
Someone described this as simple “realism” yesterday and there’s an element of truth in the fact that the Realist school does say “the national interest” is what guides them, not a universal morality or belief in human rights. And that’s terrible enough. After all, the history of realpolitik proves that “the national interest” is a very elastic term. In the old days, fighting communism led us down many blind alleys.
But Trump isn’t guided by a “national interest” that we would recognize as realism. His definition of the “national interest” is to be “respected” and paid tribute by all the other countries. The US, is number one and must be treated as number one.
For instance, his obsession with confronting China over some man-made islands in the South China Sea cannot be seen as vital to American national security. A realist like Henry Kissinger could easily concoct some reason why it is, and alliances can often provide that reason. But here is Trump’s:
Look at what China’s doing in the South China Sea. I mean they are totally disregarding our country and yet we have made China a rich country because of our bad trade deals. Our trade deals are so bad. And we have made them – we have rebuilt China and yet they will go in the South China Sea and build a military fortress the likes of which perhaps the world has not seen. Amazing, actually. They do that, and they do that at will because they have no respect for our president and they have no respect for our country.
So he’s going to make them “respect” us. And then, he’ll take what he wants. To the victor belongs the spoils.
That’s Trumpism, not realism, not liberal interventionism, not neoconservatism.
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