Is Trump’s new National Security Strategy a ‘wholesale break' with US foreign policy’? | DW News

Key Concepts

• US National Security Strategy (NSS): A document outlining the Trump White House's vision for America's role in the world.
• Western Hemisphere Focus: A shift in US foreign policy prioritizing relations and control within North and South America.
• Unregulated Migration: Viewed as a national security threat to the US homeland.
• Spheres of Influence: The concept of major powers asserting control over specific geographic regions, mirroring actions by Russia and China.
• European Relations: A questioning of the future of US-Europe alliances, with concerns about Europe's economic and military strength and a perceived ideological divergence.
• Re-industrialization Strategy: A plan for Russia to become a significant market for American industrial goods.
• NATO Retreat: A practical withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• Far-Right Influence: The document's alignment with and potential encouragement of far-right political movements in Europe.
• Great Replacement Theory: A debunked conspiracy theory referenced in the NSS, suggesting demographic shifts threaten European identity.
• Monroe Doctrine Reinvention: A reassertion of US dominance and right to interfere in Latin American politics.
• Multipolar World Order: A shift away from US unipolarity towards a global system with multiple power centers.
• Transatlantic Relationship: The traditional alliance and partnership between the US and European nations.
• Strategic Implications for Europe: The need for European nations to become more unified, purposeful, and self-reliant in security and interests.
• Unpredictability of the Trump Administration: A key challenge for allies due to the perceived ad-hoc nature of US foreign policy decision-making.

US National Security Strategy: A Shift in Global Vision

The recently published US National Security Strategy (NSS) from the Trump White House signals a significant reorientation of America's global posture. This document, analyzed by experts Katherine Klover Ashbrook and David Dunn, reveals a vision that prioritizes domestic security and regional control, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, while questioning traditional alliances, especially with Europe.

Western Hemisphere as a Core Focus

A central theme of the NSS is the elevation of the Western Hemisphere as a primary area of US concern and influence. This includes a strong emphasis on securing the homeland from unregulated migration, which is explicitly identified as a key national security issue. This marks a departure from previous US national security strategies.

The document's focus extends to asserting a more significant control and operator role in Latin America. This is evidenced by:

• The administration's plans concerning Venezuela.
• Rebukes of the Colombian president.
• Financial aid to the Argentinian administration.
• Verbal meddling in the Honduran election.
• Tariff disputes with Brazil.

This assertion of influence in Latin America, by extension, includes a desire for greater control over Mexico and Canada. The NSS makes clear the administration's belief in the concept of spheres of influence, positioning the US alongside powers like Russia (Eurasian continent) and China (Asia) in controlling their respective regions.

Questioning the Future of European Alliances

The NSS presents a particularly "pernicious" outlook for European allies. A significant statement within the document posits that "should current trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less." This raises doubts about the future economic and military strength of certain European countries and their capacity to remain reliable allies.

This questioning of alliances is further elaborated by David Dunn, who describes the document as a "repudiation of the American leadership role for the last 80 years." He notes a lack of a guiding intellectual idea, with different approaches applied to different regions. The NSS criticizes Europe for being "too liberal" and hints at underlying racism through its comments on ethnationalism and the idea of Europe becoming "non-European."

The document's approach to Europe is seen as a "divorce plan" towards European allies, suggesting a desire to bring Russia back into the fold of great economies. This aligns with Donald Trump's past proposals for Russia to rejoin the G7 (forming a G8) and his interest in Russia becoming a massive market for American industrial goods. The NSS also signals a practical retreat from NATO and a focus on changing mainstream centrist political forces in Europe, with the US intending to influence such change. This is characterized as a "wholesale break with American foreign policy of the last 80 years."

Ideological Alignment with European Far-Right

The NSS's stance on Europe is seen as potentially heartening to far-right groups across the continent. Experts note that these groups have been actively engaging with Washington. Examples include:

• Nigel Farage's visits to Washington, with trips funded by far-right anti-abortion organizations.
• Senior figures from Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) meeting with drafters of the NSS.

This suggests an ideological bridge being built between extremist parties in Europe and the US administration. Some of these European parties have been identified by intelligence agencies as threats to democracy. The NSS's inclusion of the "great replacement theory," a debunked conspiracy theory, further solidifies this connection and represents a break with 80 years of American foreign policy that has traditionally supported democratic values.

Rejection of Global Domination and a Multipolar World

The document also marks a departure from decades of attempts to be the sole superpower, stating that the United States rejects the "ill-fated concept of global domination for itself." This is interpreted as a hint towards the idea of spheres of influence, mirroring the actions of Russia and China.

David Dunn suggests this is a reversion to a 19th-century version of American foreign policy, where the US reserves the right to behave as it pleases, as seen in actions against boats off Venezuela, and implicitly allows other countries to establish their own spheres of influence. This approach ignores the lessons learned in the 20th century that isolationism does not serve US interests or global security.

Implications for Germany and Transatlantic Relations

The NSS has drawn sharp criticism from European officials. Germany's Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, stated that Germany does not need outside advice. Jurgen Hart, foreign policy spokesperson for Germany's governing Christian Democratic Party, believes the document is influenced by extremist opinions and potentially even Russian President Putin, stating, "We did not interfere in US and we expect that US is not doing so in German democracies."

Nina Ha, DW's chief political correspondent, highlights that European officials were largely uninformed about the strategy, indicating a strain in communication with allies. The NSS's rhetoric, including the quote about NATO members becoming "majority non-Europeans," echoes the criticism of migration policies from far-right parties like the AfD.

The unpredictability of the Trump administration is a significant challenge for Germany and other allies. Foreign policy decisions are perceived as being made by a small group of individuals, leading to an ad-hoc approach. Despite this, German officials insist on maintaining ties with the US, recognizing its importance as an ally. However, the NSS contains "thinly veiled threats" regarding migration policies, market access, and lawsuits against social media platforms, questioning the future of the alliance if these policies are not changed.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The US National Security Strategy represents a significant departure from traditional American foreign policy. It signals a retreat from global leadership, a heightened focus on regional control in the Western Hemisphere, and a questioning of long-standing alliances, particularly with Europe. The document's alignment with far-right ideologies and its embrace of spheres of influence concepts suggest a move towards a more isolationist and transactional approach to international relations. For Europe, this necessitates a greater emphasis on self-reliance, unity, and the strategic implications of a fundamentally altered relationship with the United States. The unpredictability of the current US administration remains a key challenge for allies navigating this new geopolitical landscape.