The US has Abandoned its Mission to Promote Democracy and Freedom Around the World
President John F. Kennedy set a tone in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, proclaiming America's commitment to protecting and promoting democracy and freedom globally. "We pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty," he said.
This vision has guided every US president since Kennedy, with each one building on his foundation of democracy and freedom as cornerstones of national security and global influence. However, there was an outlier - Donald Trump.
Trump's first term did not offer a clear picture of what America wanted in the world, but it was finally laid out in the administration's National Security Strategy released December 4. This 33-page document read like something from a time capsule, embracing nationalism, chauvinism, and a world dominated by great powers.
The strategy outlines an approach to foreign policy with American interests far narrower than previous administrations had portrayed them. Gone is the US as a global force for freedom; instead, America focuses on reducing migration while avoiding judgment on authoritarians who are seen as sources of cash.
This new posture has dire implications for democracy and freedom in other nations. For decades, America's vast power, prosperity, and political commitments have been an asset for democratic forces everywhere. The world trusted that the US was not driven by parochial interests and bottom line.
The post-World War II global order was shaped by a commitment to democracy and freedom at its core. World leaders understood the indispensable role of the US in exemplifying and supporting those values. So did the American people, with growing bipartisan support for active US leadership in the world and robust military power to deter authoritarian adversaries.
However, Trump's National Security Strategy is clear: words like "freedom" and "democracy" are barely used. Instead, it prioritizes commercial diplomacy through tariffs and reciprocal trade agreements. The document promises an American retreat from parts of the world that have relied on US help, with allies now expected to assume primary responsibility for their own defense.
Make no mistake, this will leave a vacuum that China and Russia will fill, putting America's national security at risk. The strategy repudiates pluralism and diversity, seeing migration as a threat to Western civilization. It undermines democracy by portraying the world in which smaller nations are subservient to larger ones.
The US has abandoned its mission to promote democracy and freedom globally, instead embracing an outdated approach of "gunboat diplomacy." This is reminiscent of President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy approach, where the US would intervene to protect its interests. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy doesn't mention Venezuela but seems to reference it in the context of protecting American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.
By repudiating pluralism and diversity, Trump's strategy undermines democracy. Historian Robert Kagan observed that supporting democracy is a matter of national security. But not for Donald Trump. The president's National Security Strategy portrays America as focusing first on its own interests rather than advancing freedom globally. This is a far cry from Kennedy's vision of America as a beacon of democracy and freedom on the world stage.
President John F. Kennedy set a tone in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, proclaiming America's commitment to protecting and promoting democracy and freedom globally. "We pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty," he said.
This vision has guided every US president since Kennedy, with each one building on his foundation of democracy and freedom as cornerstones of national security and global influence. However, there was an outlier - Donald Trump.
Trump's first term did not offer a clear picture of what America wanted in the world, but it was finally laid out in the administration's National Security Strategy released December 4. This 33-page document read like something from a time capsule, embracing nationalism, chauvinism, and a world dominated by great powers.
The strategy outlines an approach to foreign policy with American interests far narrower than previous administrations had portrayed them. Gone is the US as a global force for freedom; instead, America focuses on reducing migration while avoiding judgment on authoritarians who are seen as sources of cash.
This new posture has dire implications for democracy and freedom in other nations. For decades, America's vast power, prosperity, and political commitments have been an asset for democratic forces everywhere. The world trusted that the US was not driven by parochial interests and bottom line.
The post-World War II global order was shaped by a commitment to democracy and freedom at its core. World leaders understood the indispensable role of the US in exemplifying and supporting those values. So did the American people, with growing bipartisan support for active US leadership in the world and robust military power to deter authoritarian adversaries.
However, Trump's National Security Strategy is clear: words like "freedom" and "democracy" are barely used. Instead, it prioritizes commercial diplomacy through tariffs and reciprocal trade agreements. The document promises an American retreat from parts of the world that have relied on US help, with allies now expected to assume primary responsibility for their own defense.
Make no mistake, this will leave a vacuum that China and Russia will fill, putting America's national security at risk. The strategy repudiates pluralism and diversity, seeing migration as a threat to Western civilization. It undermines democracy by portraying the world in which smaller nations are subservient to larger ones.
The US has abandoned its mission to promote democracy and freedom globally, instead embracing an outdated approach of "gunboat diplomacy." This is reminiscent of President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy approach, where the US would intervene to protect its interests. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy doesn't mention Venezuela but seems to reference it in the context of protecting American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.
By repudiating pluralism and diversity, Trump's strategy undermines democracy. Historian Robert Kagan observed that supporting democracy is a matter of national security. But not for Donald Trump. The president's National Security Strategy portrays America as focusing first on its own interests rather than advancing freedom globally. This is a far cry from Kennedy's vision of America as a beacon of democracy and freedom on the world stage.
! Like, how can the US just abandon their mission to promote democracy and freedom around the world? That's such a huge part of who they are, you know? It's like, what's next? 
They're going back to that old "gunboat diplomacy" approach? 
I don't think that's gonna work out for them... China and Russia will just fill the vacuum and it'll be a disaster! 
We need more global cooperation and support for democracy, not less! 
Can we start a petition or something to get this changed back? 
i think this shift in us foreign policy is super worrying, it feels like they're abandoning the whole "shining city on a hill" thing 
. america used to be all about promoting freedom and democracy, but now it's more about protecting its own interests 
. it's gonna leave a huge power vacuum that china and russia will fill, and we'll be left wondering what happened to our global leadership 
. trump's approach is all about gunboat diplomacy, which sounds super outdated to me 
. i hope the next president will take a different approach, one that still prioritizes america's values but also acknowledges its place in the world 
. What’s next? Like, are they gonna start prioritizing trade deals over actual freedom and democracy? 
. And the idea that smaller nations should be subservient to larger ones is, like, totally wrong 
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. That's not how you create lasting peace and stability in the world. We need to work together as a community, not just look out for ourselves 
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... America's influence around the world is being reduced to just looking out for itself 
... and what about all the people who are living under authoritarian regimes because the US used to be a global leader in democracy and freedom 
. It feels like they're abandoning their role as a champion of democracy and freedom worldwide 
. But now, it seems like they're all about protecting American interests first 
️. And let's be real, their version of democracy doesn't exactly align with ours 
. It's like they're trying to recreate some kind of nationalist utopia where smaller nations just bow down to bigger ones 
. And what about the little guys who need American help? Are they gonna be left high and dry in their time of need? 
. We can't just sit back and let China and Russia fill the void 
. But for now, I'm feeling pretty uneasy 
. It's not about promoting freedom or democracy anymore; it's all about protecting America's power and wealth 
which is super scary for our national security. i just wish america would go back to its roots and start promoting democracy and freedom again 
. And isn't it crazy how Donald Trump's National Security Strategy is basically saying we only care about ourselves now? It's like, what about all those countries that rely on us for help? 
. They're shifting their focus away from spreading democracy and freedom around the globe 
. It's all about "America first" 
, which is so not what America was founded on 
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like, hello, isn't that just code for xenophobia? 
. It's like they're trying to recreate the Cold War all over again 
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. It's all about America first now 
... but still kinda surprising that it happened so fast 
. And what's up with this focus on tariffs and trade agreements? It feels like they're more concerned with lining their own pockets than actually helping the world 
.