There is a lot to cheer about when it comes to most of President Trump’s foreign policy statements. He regularly tells us he is ending foreign wars and bringing troops home. But do the people who work for him even listen? It seems as soon as the president makes a strong foreign policy statement, one of his appointees grabs a microphone to explain what the president โreally meant.โ
Earlier this month, President Trump Tweeted that, โwe should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!โ
It was a very encouraging statement. But almost immediately his statement was โclarifiedโ โ actually refuted โ by two Administration officials.
First, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, directly contradicted his boss โ who also happens to be his Commander-in-Chief – stating, โItโs a conditions-based plan. Weโre continuing to monitor those conditions.โ
Then President Trumpโs National Security Advisor Robert OโBrien told us that the presidentโs statement was merely an expression of his โdesire.โ โAll presidents, all GIs, want the troops home by Christmas,โ he said on Friday.
Then Milley and OโBrien launched a war of words against each other over troop withdrawal, with Milley attacking OโBrienโs โclarificationโ that 2,500 troops would remain in Afghanistan until at least early next year. Milley called it โspeculation.โ
OโBrien fought back, stating that it โhas been suggested by some that thatโs speculation. I can guarantee you thatโs the plan of the President of the United States.โ
Itโs hard to follow!
While President Trumpโs statement on bringing the troops home is to be applauded, he has a real problem getting his policies implemented by the very people he has hired to do the implementing. It has long been said that โthe personnel is the policy,โ and we have seen this very clearly in this administration.
President Trump ran on a sensible foreign policy, defining โAmerica firstโ as getting the US out of endless and counterproductive wars. Many, me included, believe this position may have provided his margin of victory. The โpeace candidateโ nearly always wins.
But you cannot pursue an โAmerica firstโ foreign policy if you put people like Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Mark Milley, and others in charge of carrying it out. They simply wonโt do it. We are seeing that again when it comes to withdrawing our troops from the long and foolish war in Afghanistan.
For a president once made famous for uttering the line โyouโre fired,โ Trump seems unwilling or perhaps unable to dismiss those who actively seek to undermine his policies.
There is no need for endless negotiations with the Taliban on what the country might look like or should look like when we get out. The only way to get out of Afghanistan is to just get out of Afghanistan. To just come home. Nineteen years fighting a losing battle to re-shape a country thousands of miles away about which the โexpertsโ know nothing is more than enough.
But if there is ever a โdangerโ of a war coming to a close, Washingtonโs warmongers are right there trying to stir up another conflict. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said late last week that would like to see huge military spending increases to counter the โthreatโ of Russia and China.
Robbing Middle America to enrich the millionaires in the military-industrial complex seems to be the one issue universally supported in Washington. But it is not at all what the American people want. Will Trump have another chance to pursue an actual โAmerica firstโ foreign policy? Soon we will knowโฆ
- Making Corporatism Great Again - September 8, 2025
- American Neocons Get Their Iran War as Congress Sleeps - October 7, 2024
- America Reaches a Sad Milestone - August 5, 2024