Trump's Worldview: Old Wine in New Bottles

by Stephen Lendman

Believe nothing politicians say. They all lie. Trump sent mixed messages in delivering his first foreign policy address. His worldview is more nightmarish than visionary.

His America first agenda features unipolarity, nativism and US military supremacy while claiming to "want to live peacefully with Russia and China."

Absent was urging respect for and adherence to rule of law principles along with wanting mutual cooperation among all nations. 

He failed to denounce America's imperial agenda, its phony war on terrorism as a pretext for endless aggression against nonbelligerent states threatening no others.

On the one hand, he called "(o)ur foreign policy…a complete and total disaster." On the other, his "administration will lead a free world (sic) that is properly armed and funded…"

He lied about the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "disastrous." In earlier comments, he vowed to rescind it, ignoring the obligation of P5+1 countries to observe agreed on principles - Iran in full compliance. 

Saying Tehran "ignor(ed) its terms even before the ink was dry" was willful deception. America alone continues violating terms it agreed to observe.

Stressing "Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon" ignores its peaceful program with no military component or indication it seeks one - along with failing to denounce Israel as the region's sole nuclear armed and dangerous regional state, threatening its peace and stability.

Trump shamelessly called the Jewish state "the one true democracy in the Middle East…a force for peace and justice" - ignoring its longstanding anti-Palestinian genocidal agenda, ongoing viciousness as he spoke.

His address was a litany of misinformation, distortions and 

Big Lies. Obama "watches helplessly as North Korea increases its aggression," he blustered.

"China…continue(s) its economic assault on American jobs and wealth…" It's waging cyberwar "to steal government secrets…"

"If President Obama's goal had been to weaken America, he could not have done a better job."

"We're a humanitarian nation…(T)he legacy of the Obama-Clinton interventions will be weakness, confusion and disarray, a mess…We left Christians subject to intense persecution and even genocide."

All of the above twists reality demagogically. North Korea threatens no one. For decades, Washington spurned its efforts to normalize relations with the West.

China doesn't steal US jobs. Corporate America offshores them to numerous low-wage countries, bipartisan US policy doing nothing to stop the transformation of industrial America into a third world nation.

Trump conveniently ignored post-9/11 Bush wars of aggression, bipartisan complicity supporting them.

Clinton's 1990s Balkan wars preceded them, raping and dismembering the former Yugoslavia. 

Obama's imperial agenda is more of the same, exceeding the worst of George Bush - Hillary Clinton as secretary of state orchestrating naked aggression on Libya and Syria.

Muslims, not Christians and Jews, are at risk in today's dangerous world. Post-9/11, US foreign policy left millions dead, endless carnage continuing, Congress permitting it with outsized military appropriations for permanent war on humanity.

Who knows what Trump means about everything changing if he becomes president. "America is going to be strong again," he ranted.

Claiming he wants "radical Islam" halted ignores its US creation and support. Surely he knows, but won't say, perpetuating the myth of war on terrorism - failing to explain ISIS and similar groups can't exist without foreign support.

"(W)e have to rebuild our military and our economy," he blustered. Annual defense authorizations should be greatly reduced at a time America has no enemies.

Billions saved should be invested domestically to create jobs for the one out of four working-age Americans without them - and better ones for the millions of underemployed.

Trump shamelessly calls increasing America's military strength "the cheapest, single investment we can make…Our military dominance must be unquestioned, and I mean…by anybody and everybody."

At the same time, he stresses not wasting "one single dollar." Pentagon policy is a longstanding sinkhole of waste, fraud and abuse. Trump bluster won't change things.

Putting America first sounds like demanding other nations operate by US rules or else. Saying "I will not hesitate to deploy military force when there is no alternative" is no different from current imperial policy.

Insisting he wants "peace and prosperity, not war and destruction" suggests a pledge to be breached straightaway in office, continuing dirty business as usual.

Trump differs from rival candidates largely in style. If elected to succeed Obama, expect deplorable continuity, not responsible change.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.