UNITED States of America President Donald Trump should not just be contended with his local policies and his expertise on corporate finance and global financial markets. As a top world leader, he has to consider alliances, partnerships, multilateral-ism (involvement of two or more nations), and democracy.
Running his imperial business world is different from running the affairs of the state. He may lose or win in his. Attending to what Americans want is no joking matter. This is still early, judging his direction in matters affecting the states and the global community. The world should allow him to try his trump card.
We want to see his international leadership in and out of America, international business, international macroeconomics, foreign policy, international negotiation, international organization, international politics, international trade, leadership and management, security studies, and transnational social issues. President Trump knows that the greatest and most influential nation on earth comes with certain inescapable realities. Allies depend on the strength of America but there is an abundance of enemies that wish to undermine America.
The world now has grown more interconnected. American leadership has grown more critical in maintaining global order, defending the interest of the Americans (just like what Trump is doing now), and protecting US economy that has expanded from national to international. The American investors can no longer separate domestic policy from foreign policy. There are observations from the sidelines that President Barack Obama was not able to recognize all these.
Is President Trump having a clear vision at the start of his administration? If not, he will follow the footsteps of Obama who left the world in danger and America’s interests less secure. It will take years for President Trump to confront the residual effects of President Obama’s foreign and defense policies. Knocking at the door of the global communities is the spread of the self-declared Islamic State. Is America having a hard ball (not found in Obama) to halt Iran’s regional expansionism?
America’s concern is not only focused in the Middle East. Russia invaded Ukraine. Beijing is making an attempt to dominate the South China Sea. There is the resurgent despotism (rule of the tyrant, dictator) in South America. The new threat could be from the devastating cyber attacks to challenge in space.
President Trump will face all these with slashed budget for defense. Obama slashed hundreds of billions of dollars as a policy of his administration.
President Trump has to begin building the capabilities of his administration. America needs physical strength and an active foreign policy to back up the preservation of peace (not promoting conflict). It could be said that America needs power for dynamic foreign policy that restores strength, promotes prosperity, and steers the world toward freedom.
The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest. America should be able to send a forceful message without firing a single bullet or a missile. The end of the line should be peace, not more chaos. If America will show weakness, the global community will cast doubt. This doubt will only encourage American adversaries to hurl more challenges. This was shown by Obama’s weak handling of Iran. Tehran made a monkey in the negotiation, a slap in the face of America. President Trump should wake up early to prevent Iran from developing more nuclear weapons.
President Trump should show some muscles here for the security of the region, the safety of Israel, and the interests of the entire world. America should soar like the American eagle in approaching Tehran. There should be the show of strength and leadership, not weakness and concession. Trump should learn from Obama’s failure. Obama is soft-headed idealist, a cold-blooded realist, or a naive incompetent.
America should aspire for the protection of an open international economy in an increasingly globalized world. The prosperity of American families is tied to the safety and stability of the regions outside the American world … Asia, Middle East, Europe. Russia should be disciplined. It has the hobby of annexation starting with Crimea and to be expanded in eastern Ukraine.
America and the allies should put a stop to countries of rising powers with surging ambitions. There is a need for moral clarity regarding America’s core values. America is believed to be an agent for spreading human rights and liberal democratic principles. If America wants to survive as world leader, President Trump should have the vision of an American eagle.