Carlsbad, CA
September 17, 2015
Is Trump A Non-Interventionist
by Rich Scheck
Is Donald Trump a Paleocon or Libertarian Non-Interventionist?
During last night’s Republican presidential debate, Trump high-fived Ben
Carson when the former surgeon stated he had told President Bush to
eschew attacking Iraq.
That gesture was an indication that he opposes the foreign policy of
both parties when it comes to humanitarian interventions like in Libya
by Obama in 2011 as well as the 2003 Iraq incursion.
To dispel any doubt on the matter, he also stated that we should not be involved in the current fighting in Syria. Unlike most of his competitors, he pronounced it was the responsibility of the Syrian government to take on ISIS.
Although he has Neo-Con John Bolton as a foreign policy advisor and has recently come out strongly in favor of backing Poroshenko in Ukraine, Mr. Trump appears reluctant to pour more money, troops and US prestige into the endless Middle East morass.
Does this make him a Pat Buchanan paleo-con or Paulist libertarian?
Not really! Trump is beyond labels and has his unique take on almost
everything.
But his claim that President Putin will respect him far more than he does
President Obama is undoubtably accurate. In other words, he will be able
to make better deals with the Russian leader than Obama has with Iran,
Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.
In the context of Cold War II, Trump is positioning himself as the reincarnation
of Ronald Reagan. How fitting then, that the debate was held in the Gipper’s
Simi Valley presidential library!
With months to go before the primary season ends and over a year before
the 2016 election, a lot can happen to determine the ultimate outcome of
the current race.
But as things now stand, the election is Trump’s to lose! Having surged into
the lead, his gaffs are usually treated with the same Teflon shielding others
including Reagan have achieved in the past.
A highly imperfect man and candidate, he may ultimately morph into a level
of greatness achieved by other US leaders in his efforts to restore America
to its once high level of greatness.
If he can do that without becoming a dictator by emulating his Secret Service
handle—Humble—-millions of reluctant voters will greet his success with the
applause it will truly deserve.
And if he can manage to deal with Moscow in a “mutually beneficial manner”
the entire world will issue a collective sigh of relief and conceivably bestow
another Nobel Peace Prize on a sitting US President, one which will arguably
be more appropriate than received prematurely by Obama.