On Tuesday September 19, 2017 President Donald Trump went to his first UN General Assembly. His speech clearly outlined his administration’s foreign policy. The past eight years under the Obama administration have not been good for the United States on the world stage. In six short months, Donald Trump has made it clear that Obama’s administration is the America of the past, and he now seeks to usher forth a new era of American strength and guidance on the world stage. This speech perfectly encapsulated his vision and America’s purpose for the future.
One of the first places he made his policy clear was in dealing with “Rocket Man” the President’s affectionate new nickname for North Korean Dictator Kim-Jong Un. The Obama administration’s policy of “strategic patience” failed monumentally; the barrage of scolding and failed diplomatic and economic sanctions while the US took a back seat gave “Rocket Man” “time to continue to advance its nuclear missile programs,” Kelsey Davenport, director of non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association says.
In the past few months, North Korea has launched two missiles over the Japanese islands, putting one of our allies in the region at risk. If the previous administration made a more concerted effort to end the program early on, we may not be in this precarious situation that puts the U.S. and her allies in danger. Trump’s policy appears to be more like Ronald Reagans “Peace through Strength”.
Along with his stark denunciation of North Korea, he also took a jab at Iran, calling it a “rouge regime” and saying, “Iran’s chief exports are bloodshed and chaos.” The Iranian nuclear deal is simply appeasement for an authoritarian nation that continues to fund terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, which is a constant threat to our allies in the Middle East like Israel. At the very least the deal needs to be renegotiated, which is what Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, wants to do. A tough stance at the United Nations sent a strong message of support to our Middle Eastern allies and insists on support from the rest of the assembly.
He also commented on Venezuela, a nation that has been embroiled in economic and political turmoil this year. He further condemned socialism, which is arguably the cause of the turmoil, saying, “Wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.”
This has been made immensely clear with years of evidence to support it. This is a very real crisis for the Venezuelan people and he called the United Nations to action to support the suffering people in this country.
The tenants of socialism seek to insure everyone has enough and is equally provided for, but in Venezuela the very people that would in theory benefit from socialism have gone from having something, even if it is a little, to having nothing. It has made everyone equally poor. This is a very clear message for the world that we need to care for those who have been hurt by their governments, which is something that the United Nations was created to do.
Reform was a central message from Trump’s speech as well. The United Nations has been unable to get much of anything done. The dense and complicated diplomatic landscape has become a gridlock that seems impenetrable.
President Trump blames red tape and mismanagement. He seeks to change the UN for the betterment of all people. It is reasonable to disagree with how this should be carried out, however at least an effort is being made. Many people will not like his tone and his ideas but something must be done to fix the system.
Donald Trump’s message of peace through strength and reform may very well be the way to do it.
Noah is a Political Science major and History minor. He is the College Republican secretary and a contributing writer for The Voice
