May 30, 2024
by Professor Dorothy Logan
Four years ago, Walid Phares laid out The Choice in Foreign Policy between then-president Donald Trump and his opponent at the time, Joe Biden. Phares made the argument that a Biden presidency would essentially be a third Obama term, especially as it pertained to foreign policy. Here we are, four years later. And Americans face nearly the same exact choice. But the script is now flipped. This time, we don’t have to simply imagine what Biden’s foreign policy will look like. We are seeing it in action at this moment.
In 2020, Americans could reflect on the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration and weigh past performance (along with the radical doctrines relied upon and the dangerous deals cut) against the actual presidential actions of the Trump administration at the time. And yet many Americans chose the candidate who still supports extremists (Islamists and Marxists), reopened the southern border of the country, and weaponized the U.S. national security apparatus. And now, instead of the peace the Middle East hoped for through Trump’s Abraham Accords, we have outright armed conflict between Iran and Israel, Mideast chaos, and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan just in time to clamor for a war in Europe – a war with no end in sight.
Didn’t we want an end to never-ending wars? And wasn’t that what Trump brought us? As some Americans fear a national dictatorship under a second term by Donald Trump and/or fret over domestic social and cultural policies and the economy, they should not brush off the importance of foreign policy this election year. Trump is no longer an unknown on the world leader stage. He has a foreign policy record. And seeing as how volatile the world is right now, it might behoove the American people to take another look at it.
No government, no president, no executive branch is perfect. Each one makes its own policy mistakes and missteps, but Americans have an obligation to choose the best path forward for the future of the country – and ultimately for the world. Phares made the claim in 2020, that the choice Americans made would have significant consequences. And we have, indeed, experienced the consequences of the choice made in 2020.
The Choice by Walid Phares should be required reading for any American voter before they “pull the lever” in November. The essay clearly lays out Trump’s wins and errors, accurately predicts Biden-Obama foreign policy – and we can even now add to that legacy as we watch global events unfold around us.
This election should not just be about hating or adoring a personality. This election should not just be about progressive wins or feminist losses at home. This election should not just be about judicial decisions and appointments – or legal battles. This election should not just be about the talking points of inflation, lower prices and the economy. Now is the time for Americans to truly understand The Choice they have to make this November regarding foreign policy. The prescient 2020 essay by Walid Phares is not only a good place to start for the average American voter who may have never before given foreign policy a second thought, but The Choice can also serve as a necessary reminder for the voter whose mind has become distracted and overwhelmed by these recent “unprecedented times.”
Dorothy Logan, professor of political sciences, author of The Unraveling: The American Fabric Undone.