New Nationalism

Our duty is to the United States….We should be friendly to all nations, and in any crisis we should judge each nation by its conduct in that crisis. We should condemn the misconduct of any nation, we should oppose its encroachments upon our rights with equal vigor…..according to what it actually does on the given occasion with which we have to deal 

Theodore Roosevelt, America for Americans, Afternoon Speech in St. Louis, MO; May 31, 1916

The new National Security Strategy outlined in President Trump’s December 18 speech has the potential to be an historic change in American foreign policy. The good news is that it expressly adopts realism as our operating theory of international relations and thus “acknowledges the central role of power in international politics, affirms that strong and sovereign states are the best hope for a peaceful world, and clearly defines our national interests.” It rejects the Bush-Obama messianic goal of leading in the imposition of Americans values around the world in favor of a foreign policy “guided by outcomes, not ideology”. Indeed, it’s realism admits that “the American way of life cannot be imposed upon others, nor is it the inevitable culmination of progress”. These are the essential building blocks of a sustainable nationalist foreign policy.

My previous post The Inconvenient Truths of International Relations focused on the rise of nationalism in the post-colonial, newly-developed nations. This article highlights how nationalism is re-shaping international relations into a traditional great power rivalry instead of the global integrated community envisioned by liberal theory. It succinctly summarizes the major strengths, weaknesses and aspirations of each of the major powers (United States, China, Japan, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany and India). A clear-eyed and realistic understanding of the goals of these nations will be crucial to successfully navigating the shoals of the new nationalist world order.

Read An Era of Great Power Leaders