Why Trump's first trip abroad was a success
The Hill ^ | May 30, 2017 | JuanPablo Andrade
President Trump this week concluded his first trip abroad. Despite extreme negativity from the media, the trip was one of the most successful by any president in recent memory.
During the trip, Trump visited the ancestral homelands of the three monotheistic faiths: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It was his opportunity to express his foreign policy plans in a religious context, and he succeeded by staying on message.
While in Saudi Arabia, President Trump met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al, the rest of the royal family, and over 50 Arab and Muslim leaders. The Saudis were not happy with the Obama administration, and especially with many of their policies dealing with the Middle East. Trump’s visit showed his dedication to repairing Washington’s ties with our closest Arab ally. The Saudis welcomed the U.S. with open arms and with respect not shown during the Obama era.
It was clear Israel was also a top priority. Trump might very well be capable of doing something that no president has ever been able to do before. Peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis could actually be achievable if Trump can bring them together against a common enemy: Shiite-led Iran, a country that has no intention of being a positive force in the Middle East and is still one of the world’s top state sponsors of terrorism.
For years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to negotiate relations with Arab nations in a bid to counter their common enemy. Trump showed support for Netanyahu’s initiatives to recalibrate Israel’s relationship with its Arab neighbors, as well as for resolving the standoff with the Palestinians.
Our allies must undermine the ideology of those who want to harm their own citizens, a goal towards which Trump has been working. It is an ongoing and consistent message because the threats are advancing and becoming much more consistent. And as the threats continue to advance, it’s imperative that the U.S. military and our allies have the tools necessary to do the job.
Liberal critics and the media will say what they want, but Trump's speeches in the Middle East were very clear. The U.S. is fighting an ideology — Islamic extremism — and not the religion of Islam.
Trump continued his trip to NATO headquarters in Brussels and at the G-7 Summit in Sicily, moving forward with the message of unity among our NATO allies. While terrorism was a topic of discussion, Trump confronted world leaders and demanded that they start finally paying their NATO dues. Of the 28 member countries, only four besides the United States spend the required two percent of GDP on defense. And on top of their current dues, they owe massive amounts from past years.
NATO is essential to international security from all threats, but in reality, NATO is not the fighting machine it should be. Not only is it unfair to the American taxpayers to continue to bear such a disproportionate burden, it weakens NATO's effectiveness.
We should be proud to have a president who asserts leadership on the world stage, who has a concrete plan to combat radical Islamic terrorists and wants to unite all of our allies against this common threat to all of humanity. Trump has certainly made great progress towards the goals of security and prosperity for all Americans, and as he said, he now has renewed hope that nations regardless of faiths, can work together.
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