The Art of Contradictions
Trump’s Policy Contradictions Make Us Look Foolish To Our Global Peers
On the night of April 6, 2017, President Trump authorized a missile strike on Syria after the Syrian government used chemical weapons against their civilians. The acts of the Syrian government are undoubtedly atrocious and something that anyone with a conscience would wholeheartedly condemn. However, Trump’s decision to launch a missile strike is a vast difference from the opinion he tweeted in 2013. In 2013, President Obama sought congressional approval to intervene in Syria. A few of Trump’s responses are below.
Granted, Trump is not beholden to the statements that he’s made in the past. Admittedly, he has more intelligence access today versus 2013. These tweets from a few years ago are a vast difference from the statement made by President Trump following the missile strike. In fact, the President himself said that footage from the Syrian attack has changed his thoughts on Syria and Assad. However, the White House has blamed the latest Syrian chemical crisis on President Obama — but again, Trump was not in favor of US intervention in 2013. It is important to note, that individuals within the GOP disagree with President Trump’s assertion that the chemical attack was the fault of President Obama.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I disagreed with many of the decisions made by the Obama administration on foreign policy, but that Presidency’s over; we have a new Presidency … Bottom line is the people who killed these children are Bashar al-Assad with the assistance of Vladimir Putin’s military forces.” — Senator Marco Rubio
However, this isn’t the first case of a Trump vs. Trump scenario.
Leaving the flip-flop domestic policy examples aside, his contradictions regarding his philosophies on foreign policy make the United States appear weak.
Russian Sanctions
Trump and his administration have been back-and-forth on their stance on Russian sanctions. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump was discussing the Russian invasion of Crimea and stated, “Why would anyone have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?” However, just three weeks later, he told former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, that the United States wouldn’t lift sanctions until the Russian government withdrew from Ukraine.
Israel and Palestine Conflict
The Israeli and Palestinian conflict has been ongoing and centers around the contested area of the West Bank and Gaza strip. During a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “I’m looking at two states and one state…I like the one that one that both parties like.”
U. N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley, stated “The two-state solution is what we support…Anybody that wants to say the United States does not support the two-state solution — that would be an error.” Trump later re-emphasized his position, saying he likes the solution, but “so far it hasn’t worked.”
NATO and the European Union
Trump has stated that NATO is obsolete and that more countries will follow the U.K. in leaving the EU. However, VP Pence, stated that the country is “steadfast and enduring” to the EU and “unwavering in our commitment” to NATO. Later, Steve Bannon undermined Pence’s words when he stated that the EU was a “flawed concept.” Trump later declared that he was “totally in favor of it.”
The continuation of Trump’s contradictions is embarrassing for the United States — a global leader. His behavior creates opportunity for issues for the nation’s homeland security. Trump’s failures to see how the use of chemical weapons was an important issue in 2013 provides evidence that he is truly a fish out of water. Has President Trump finally realized that the Office of the President of the United States has access to more intelligence than a private citizen with a Twitter account? One can only hope. However, if he continues with this behavior, the next problem for the United States isn’t immigration, wiretapping or White House nepotism — it’s a major credibility problem with our global peers.
If you enjoyed this piece, make sure to check out one of our earlier pieces, Fish Out of Water, discussing Trump’s credibility:
