For those still looking for a proper definition of “America First,” here is one to consider seriously: An ultra-nationalist ideology, closely associated with Mr. Donald Trump, which sees every other country as either an enemy, a rival or a vassal of the United States of America.
America First also views immigrants as pests feeding off America’s dining table and fit only to be swathed or fumigated. It doesn’t matter that almost every American you know since Christopher Columbus is an immigrant or a descendant of immigrants.
To be fair, there’s nothing new or strange about individuals, groups and nations placing their own interests ahead of others. Or earlier immigrants trying to shut the door on new immigrants to preserve real or perceived privileges. It’s pure animal instinct; and the last time I checked, man was still biologically an animal.
But no one goes to the rooftop to proclaim their animal inclinations. Great people and groups even manage to find a convergence between their narrow interests and the interests of those around them. It’s called compromise, the requisite skillsets being big picture thinking, diplomacy and negotiation.
Mr. Trump doesn’t seem to understand this. He wants to be the ultra-nationalist leader of America and Commander-in-Chief of the world, all at once. This is not possible, except in fiction. In essence, “the leader of the free world” has inadvertently taken the extraordinary step of downgrading herself to the status of local champion.
The February 28 horror spat between the American President and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy represents a damning milestone in the unravelling of American power. It sends an unmistakable signal, if ever there was a doubt, that under Trump every other leader, nation or group of nations will be thrown under the bus at the slightest whim.
The US emerged as one of two superpowers from 1945 following her pivotal roles in ending World War 2; in the reconstruction era that followed (the Marshall Plan); and in the emergence of the United Nations as an instrument of multilateral governance.
America’s model of liberal constitutional democracy (with no monarchy in the background) as a universal tool for selecting popular governments, was also considered best-in-class.
These were what made America great in the first place. It was not solely the might of America’s army or the size of its armory. America was the undisputed champion of “soft power.”
One of the key instruments of this soft power was the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Contrary to popular belief, USAID is not actually a “charity” organization.” It is a veiled instrument for advancing US strategic national interests at the expense of weaker nations.
Here’s how USAID typically works: It “donates” a few vaccines to a hospital in Africa or computers to a school in South America. In return, the government of the receiver country signs an agreement to buy vaccines exclusively from Pfizer or computers from Microsoft – both US companies. Not from China or India where there might be cheaper, equally effective options. So, for every dollar USAID spends or “gifts” to a developing country, the US makes at least 10 dollars more through the backdoor.
Does President Trump know this? Does he look beyond the debit side of the balance sheet? Does he read between the lines? I doubt it. Under him, the US has chosen a new path. Mr. Trump says it is to “Make America Great Again” (MAGA). Part of his strategy is to cut out “wasteful” spending by USAID, stop America’s funding for WHO, and anger nextdoor neighbors like Canada and Mexico with higher tariffs.
Brilliant, isn’t it? Well, it also means the US now has a dwindling say on multilateral negotiation tables going forward. Besides, it reminds every other nation that they have an equally inalienable right to set their own agenda and pursue protectionist policies.
Smart, ambitious leaders elsewhere are already singing hallelujah. Trump’s tantrums represent an opportunity for other countries to develop capacity for self-reliance, explore competitive markets and get weaned off America’s mythical feeding bottle.
There are two needs a leader must meet to remain a leader. First, he must serve the current needs of the led for survival. Second, he must be attuned to the vision of the led for growth. Without fulfilling these two needs, a leader is only taking a stroll. No one is following.
With “America First”, the US under Donald Trump has excused herself from those two duties. She is neither attuned to serving the needs of anyone outside her borders nor to the vision of a more inclusive world. She must now walk alone.
An African proverb captures it well: “It is the man with fresh leaves who enjoys the loyalty of goats.”
Soon, like the Russians, America will realize the severe limits of having the world’s most powerful army without having the world’s most “generous” heart.
