"Nation Builders Wrecked More Nations Than They Built"
Trump Middle East Visit Launches New Vision for Foreign Relations
Last week, we focused on Trump’s reshaping of world trade thru tariffs. This week, Trump traveled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE securing several trade deals but most notably calling out the failure of US nation building efforts in the Middle East.
“The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neocons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.” ~ Trump
In contrast to foreign policy of the past, Trump stressed that outsiders do not understand complex cultures and that ‘stable democracies have to grow organically and domestically from the people themselves’.
Critics have pointed out that Trump’s emphasis on business deals compromises the push for human rights and democracy, though decades of nation building have not made any significant dent in those areas.
Now with both of Trump’s terms, his first state visit abroad was to Saudi Arabia. Iran (Shia Muslim) is the major nemesis in the region and close ties with Saudi Arabia (Sunni Muslim) provides strategic pressure to keep Iran on its heels.
Former FBI Director Comey Investigated for Trump Threat
Social media exploded with the Instagram post from the former director showing a picture of the numbers ‘8647’ in the sand, a reference to ‘getting rid of’ the 47th President. Comey said he didn’t realize people associated those numbers with violence and removed the post. An investigation has been launched and several Trump allies, including DNI Tulsi Gabbard, suggested that Comey should be in jail for the remarks.
Idealism vs Pragmatism - Finding the Right Balance
I strongly urge you to follow Brian Almon at the Gem State Chronicle. This is a long article about the purpose of government, but it is a thorough handling of a trying issue - when do you push for the ideal and when do you accept what is pragmatic?