Reason # 65: Foreign Policy?
Why do we need to defeat Donald Trump and ensure that a Democrat occupies the White House?
The United States has had a reasonably consistent foreign policy during both Democratic and Republican administrations for the past eighty years, since the conclusion of the Second World War. It included a political and military commitment to democracy and a rigid anti-authoritarian posture toward both right and left. We opposed dictatorship, both fascist and Communist and made military treaties with a strong anti-Communist stance in both Europe (NATO) and Asia (SEATO). An important component of this policy has always been diplomacy to block the proliferation of nuclear weapons. To achieve these ends, we have been strong supporters of the United Nations. Implementation of this foreign policy has come at a price. It required that we maintain such a high level of military preparedness, that social support of our own underprivileged citizens has suffered.
Until Donald Trump, Democrats and Republicans maintained at least marginal civility and compromise to maintain a consistent foreign policy.
And then there came President Trump.
He undermined almost all of these principles. He immediately expressed a high level of esteem for Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, meeting with him in private, against all established procedure and tearing up the translator’s transcript of the conclave.
He appeared to take Putin’s side in a brutal invasion of the Ukraine, in part based on antipathy toward President Zelinski, who had refused to provide adverse information about the son of Joseph Biden.
Subsequently, reports suggested that Trump was vulnerable to Soviet blackmail because of sexual indiscretions taped in Russia and family real estate business dealings in Russia.
Trump went a step further by issuing what appeared to be a carte blanche to Russia to invade NATO nations, who Donald believed were not paying their fair share of support for the alliance.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68266447
DJT also cozied up to Chinese and North Korean Communist dictators Xi and Kim and right-wing dictators Erdogan and Orban in Turkey and Hungary and even contradicted the CIA finding that Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, was implicated in the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In the end, Donald Trump’s foreign policy machinations led to his impeachment for seeking foreign intervention to influence a presidential election.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49800181
Trump also scrapped a nuclear control agreement with Iran, that had required years of worldwide diplomatic efforts. As a direct result, a dedicated enemy nation is now free to rebuild its nuclear weapons program.
Trump also violated standard diplomatic maxims by negotiating directly with the terrorist Taliban rather than the legitimate government of Afghanistan and by setting a rigid timetable for the exit of U.S. armed forces.
Most concerning of all, Trump has left the question of whether he himself would act as a dictator following reelection, disturbingly open.
Making America great again surely cannot be accomplished by wrecking eighty years of diplomatic success in preventing a world war and dismantling our political and military alliances.
Have a heart; use your mind, search your conscience, and vote for Democratic candidates – across the ballot – on November. 5th.
Please share this message with your friends and please, add your thoughts, to expand upon what are only brief sketches here.
I have now written 65 “Reasons NOT to vote for Donald Trump. They are archived at my Facebook page. Please visit and share the URL with your friends and colleagues.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565843924438
Why have I committed to posting 100 Reasons NOT to vote for Donald Trump? Because I do not have time to post 10,000.
Fred Grannis
September 24, 2024