In an effort to help the Trump Administration and the
general public understand what's happening in the world today, Zbigniew
Brezezinski and Paul Wasserman wrote an article that came under the title: “Why
the World Needs a Trump Doctrine,” published on February 20, 2017 in the New
York Times.
What the authors do basically is describe the current
situation as they see it, and then make a strong plea for President Trump to
come up with a Doctrine, “any doctrine more or less,” as they call it. They
want it to calm the world and reassure the allies. And on their way to making
that plea, they tell of their fears with regard to a situation in which the
“world is sliding into disorder with no structure that's capable of handling
the problems; and chaos among the major powers that could generate disastrous
consequences”.
Without getting into specifics, the authors contend that the
world needs clear thinking and an optimistic America that displays leadership
and inspires progress. They want the President to lay out his vision in a
speech telling the nation and the world he “is on watch, is actively engaged
and has a sense of historical direction [also] why America
is important to the world, why the world needs America ,
and what America
expects from the world”.
They impress upon President Trump the reality that the United States , China
and Russia
are three dominant military powers whose cooperation will be necessary to
support stability in the world, and generate long-term solutions. They suggest
starting with a dialogue between America
and China ;
one that would lead to a strategic Sino-American understanding. They see an
invitation going to Russia
after that to come and partner with them, and forge a more lasting understanding.
So far so good. But where the article seems to miss something
is in what comes next. And what come next are the potential problems that America might
face going forward. First, the writers warn that China
and Russia
could form a strategic alliance. To make sure that America
does not provoke such a happening, they advise that the “United States must not
act toward China
as though it were a subordinate.” There is no doubt this is good advice. But
while necessary, it is not sufficient.
Here is where the deficiency of the argument becomes
apparent: “More immediately worrying is the problem posed by North Korea .”
To diminish the trouble that might come from this direction, the two authors
want to see increased cooperation among the United
States , China ,
Japan and potentially Russia . But
there is a hitch in this idea, say Brezezinski and Wasserman.
In fact, there are two problems: The conduct of North Korea and that of Russia . They
both seem to disrespect the rule of law which, in the view of the two authors
and that of the United
States , is central to the international
order. If America is to work
with Russia on curbing North Korea 's excesses, Russia itself
must understand that “there has to be a framework of acceptable conduct,” say
the two authors. They explain that unfortunately, such framework “does not
exist at present”.
But why does it not exist? That, in fact, is where
Brezezinski and Wasserman fall short. Look what they say: “A superficial show
of better relations must not be a cover for deception, maneuvering or violence
against weaker neighbors.” But this is exactly the game that the democracies
play both nationally and internationally when they feel like disrespecting the
law, and getting away with it.
In fact, the two millstones that form the albatross around
America's neck are (1) North Korea's view of Israel's nuclear arsenal whose
existence America continues to countenance even if the world knows it does not
exist. And (2) Israel's continued occupation of Palestine, which America does
not verbally countenance but finances, arms and protects with the veto at the
Security Council.
So you have North Korea
using the body language of nuclear detonation and the launch of missiles to
tell America : Mind your own
surrogate or take a hike, America !
And you have Russia using
the body language of green men, tanks and armored vehicles to tell America : Mind your own surrogate or take a hike,
America !