Trump Offers Blueprint For Military And Foreign Policy : NPR
Trump Offers Blueprint For Military And  Foreign Policy
President Trump  outlines  his  national security priorities on paper  as is required by Congress. The document  known as a national security strategy  identifies challenges the U.S. faces overseas.
 ARI SHAPIRO  HOST:
President Trump  unveiled  his  national security strategy today. It's a blueprint for confronting international challenges ranging from terrorism to cyber warfare. Congress requires presidents to issue such a strategy. It has often been done quietly  but this president took the opportunity to trumpet his approach. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY  BYLINE: In  Trump 's telling  the United States has squandered much of the last three decades from the fall of the Berlin Wall until his own election a year ago  complacent in its superpower status even as rivals were chipping away at America's lead.  Trump 's new national security strategy declares that approach is over.
 PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP : Whether we like it or not  we are engaged in a new era of competition. We accept that vigorous military  economic and political contests are now playing out all around the world.
HORSLEY:  Trump  says the U.S. will no longer assume that engaging other countries  trading with them and bringing them into the international fold will eventually tame those rivalries. Instead   he  says   he 's embracing the international competition head-on.
HORSLEY: Trump's strategy identifies three main categories of adversaries - transnational gangs of terrorists and criminals  rogue states like North Korea and what the White House calls revisionist powers such as China and Russia. That doesn't rule out cooperation with those countries. But despite his oft-stated wish for improved ties with Russia  Trump says the U.S. is clear-eyed about the limits of that relationship.
HORSLEY: Trump says the U.S. will carry out its strategy on a number of fronts from protecting the homeland to boosting America's economy.
HORSLEY: While the security strategy nods to  Trump 's slogan of America First  aides insist that should not be read as isolationism. On the contrary  they say  Trump  wants to boost America's influence overseas. Foreign policy analyst Dan Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy says there's not much sign of that in the last year.
HORSLEY: Drezner says by bucking international agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris climate accord   Trump  has prompted other countries to look past the U.S. In some cases  competitors like China have stepped in to fill the void. On his trip to Asia last month   Trump  celebrated his red carpet welcome as a sign of respect for America  but Drezner suspects it's really a way of playing to the president's ego.
DREZNER: For  Trump   foreign policy is personalized. If he is treated well  he interprets that as American and American interests being treated well even though that's not necessarily the case.
HORSLEY:  Trump 's strategy no longer treats global climate change as a national security threat. Instead   it  calls for unleashing America's abundant energy resources as a way to boost the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley  NPR News  the White House.
Trump Offers Blueprint For Military And  Foreign Policy
President Trump  outlines  his  national security priorities on paper  as is required by Congress. The document  known as a national security strategy  identifies challenges the U.S. faces overseas.
 ARI SHAPIRO  HOST:
[TGT]unveiled  [TGT]  national security strategy today. It's a blueprint for confronting international challenges ranging from terrorism to cyber warfare. Congress requires presidents to issue such a strategy. It has often been done quietly  but [TGT] took the opportunity to trumpet [TGT] approach. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY  BYLINE: In  [TGT] 's telling  the United States has squandered much of the last three decades from the fall of the Berlin Wall until [TGT] own election a year ago  complacent in its superpower status even as rivals were chipping away at America's lead.  [TGT] 's new national security strategy declares that approach is over.
 [TGT] : Whether we like it or not  we are engaged in a new era of competition. We accept that vigorous military  economic and political contests are now playing out all around the world.
HORSLEY:  [TGT]says the U.S. will no longer assume that engaging other countries  trading with them and bringing them into the international fold will eventually tame those rivalries. Instead   he  says   he 's embracing the international competition head-on.
HORSLEY: [TGT]'s strategy identifies three main categories of adversaries - transnational gangs of terrorists and criminals  rogue states like North Korea and what the White House calls revisionist powers such as China and Russia. That doesn't rule out cooperation with those countries. But despite his oft-stated wish for improved ties with Russia  [TGT] says the U.S. is clear-eyed about the limits of that relationship.
HORSLEY: [TGT] says the U.S. will carry out [TGT] strategy on a number of fronts from protecting the homeland to boosting America's economy.
HORSLEY: While the security strategy nods to  [TGT] 's slogan of America First  aides insist that should not be read as isolationism. On the contrary  they say  [TGT]  wants to boost America's influence overseas. Foreign policy analyst Dan Drezner of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy says there's not much sign of that in the last year.
HORSLEY: Drezner says by bucking international agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris climate accord   [TGT]has prompted other countries to look past the U.S. In some cases  competitors like China have stepped in to fill the void. On his trip to Asia last month   [TGT]celebrated his red carpet welcome as a sign of respect for America  but Drezner suspects it's really a way of playing to the president's ego.
DREZNER: For  Trump   foreign policy is personalized. If he is treated well  he interprets that as American and American interests being treated well even though that's not necessarily the case.
HORSLEY:  [TGT] 's strategy no longer treats global climate change as a national security threat. Instead   [TGT]  calls for unleashing America's abundant energy resources as a way to boost the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley  NPR News  the White House.