From ‘America First’ to a More Conventional View of U.S. Diplomacy

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/national-security-foreign-policy-white-house.html

Version 0 of 1.

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Tuesday offered a muted reaffirmation of his “America First” approach to foreign policy — one rooted in the realities of the complex world he has confronted since taking office, not the uncompromising vision he sketched during the 2016 campaign.

“My job is not to represent the world,” Mr. Trump declared. “My job is to represent the United States of America. But we know that America is better off when there is less conflict, not more.”

The president did not utter the slogan “America First,” which figured so prominently during his campaign and became a symbol of his plans to shred alliances and agreements. He said the United States would work with allies — old and new, including those in the Muslim world — to seek stability and avert future wars. And he offered his most ringing affirmation of NATO, which he had threatened to mothball during the campaign.

“We strongly support NATO, an alliance forged through the bonds of two World Wars that dethroned fascism, and a Cold War that defeated communism,” Mr. Trump declared to thunderous applause.

The president’s first address to Congress came after a turbulent debut on the world stage, when he unnerved allies with erratic statements on diplomatic issues and tempestuous phone calls with foreign leaders. But in many ways, it reflected his administration’s return to convention on several issues: support for allies in Europe and Asia, resistance to Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, and fidelity to the “One China” policy.

Mr. Trump offered few foreign policy specifics in his speech and sprang no surprises. He said his administration had reaffirmed the “unbreakable alliance” with Israel and imposed sanctions on entities and individuals connected with Iran’s ballistic missile program.

But Mr. Trump did not elaborate on the Iranian threat, which is one of the consuming preoccupations of his national security team. In general, he steered clear of the bellicose language he used on the stump or even that of previous presidents, like George W. Bush, who used a State of the Union address in 2002 to declare an “Axis of Evil.”

“We want peace, wherever peace can be found,” Mr. Trump said. “America is friends today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago, fought on the opposite side of these world wars. This history should give us faith in the possibilities for a better world.”

Peering down at Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who was seated with other members of his cabinet, Mr. Trump noted that he had ordered the military to develop a plan to destroy the Islamic State, which he described as a “network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, and women, and children of all beliefs.”

“We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from this planet,” he said.

Mr. Trump asserted that the United States had spent $6 trillion in the Middle East — he did not clarify on what, or when — and said that if the United States had spent that amount at home, “we could have rebuilt our country — twice,” maybe even three times, if the nation was run by people who knew how to negotiate deals.

He also repeated his demand that America’s partners in Europe, Asia and the Middle East “pay their fair share” of the cost of strategic and military partnerships around the world. On that score, he claimed some quick results, saying: “I can tell you, the money is pouring in. Very nice.”

Mr. Trump’s only allusion to Russia was indirect, when he said the United States was “willing to find new friends, and forge new partnerships, where shared interests align.”

He made it clear he would shun the foreign entanglements and democracy promotion of Mr. Bush. “America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path,” he said, adding, “We must learn from the mistakes of the past — we have seen the war and destruction that have raged across the world.”

“Our foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world,” Mr. Trump said. “It is American leadership based on vital security interests we share with allies across the globe.”

Perhaps most surprisingly, Mr. Trump mentioned America’s greatest economic and strategic rival, China, only once in his speech, in the context of lost American jobs since China joined the World Trade Organization. And he did not mention the nuclear threat from North Korea at all. Mr. Trump has complained bitterly that the Chinese are not doing enough to curb the aggressions of the North Korean government.

On Monday, China’s top foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, visited the White House to meet with the national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, and got a brief greeting from Mr. Trump. On Tuesday, Mr. Yang met with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson at the State Department amid reports that they were planning Mr. Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with President Xi Jinping of China, possibly later in the spring.