Phnom Penh (FN), April 2 - This acronym, used by the Austrian branch of the Habsburg monarchy at the time it was said that « the sun never set on their empire”, summarized the Latin sentence: “Austria Est Imperare Orbi Universo – it is the mission of Austria to dominate the world”.

Replace Austria by America and you will have a perfect summary of a document signed by Donald Trump, National Security Strategy of the United States of America - December 2017.

In 55 pages, the highest American authorities strongly confirm their desire to impose on the entire planet their leadership and thereby their refusal to join a multipolar world that effectively reduces their sphere of influence to countries that hear to remain their vassals.

The messianic vision of the preponderant role of the United States of America in the world remains more than ever the creed of American foreign policy: "America will lead abroad" affirms the document. Since we cannot repeat better the arrogant formula well known: "what is good for America is good for the world".

The emergence of other powers is seen as a challenge, a “threat to the United States, its allies and partners". There can only be one dominant influence on the planet, that of the USA. The legitimate development of other countries that leads them to play a decisive role in international relations is interpreted in this document as a threat to the power, influence, interests and therefore security and prosperity of the United States. China and Russia are identified as the biggest threats to which, without laughing, North Korea and Iran are associated.

To restore US supremacy - America first does not only mean America first, but also America über alles - the document establishes US policy on four pillars: security, economic and energy dominance, increased military strength, exaltation of American values.

Security first

The first pillar aims to "protect the American people, the homeland and the American way of life". For each of these objectives, the document announces priority actions to strengthen border control and reform the immigration system, protect sensitive infrastructure and prosecute hostile cyber actors, establish a missile defense system based on several levels of security. protection, continue the threat to its source so that it can not reach the borders of the country.

Preserve economic and energy domination

The second pillar is to promote America's prosperity by rejuvenating the economy, emphasizing balanced bilateral trade agreements that address trade imbalances and renegotiating existing agreements, maintaining US leadership in the area of trade and commerce. research and technologies by protecting the economy from competitors who unfairly acquire intellectual property, stimulating US energy dominance and combating projects that thwart energy growth.

Peace by force

The paper argues that China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and international terrorism pose a global threat to the US, its allies and partners. It is therefore a question of placing the United States in a "position of strength" in all the situations where they are in competition with the other world actors while maintaining a military supremacy with their allies and partners. The goal is to use all "national tools of power" (national arms industries and armed forces) to ensure that no region in the world is dominated by another power. All means will be strengthened and allies will be invited to share the burden of responsibility to protect themselves from common threats. It's a new arms race that Trump's America is launching.

Promote American influence

The US presents itself as an advanced model of democracy and fundamental human rights advocacy admired around the world. They see themselves as the leaders of a community of democratic states dedicated to the good of their people through a free market economy, a strong private sector and the rule of law. They offer the rest of the world an alternative to China and isolate countries and leaders whose Russia whose public investments would create a state of subordination.
Washington will use diplomatic sanctions and other means to actions are contrary to “American values” of individual freedom, free competition, equality before the law.

The screen of the values to maintain A.E.I.O.U.

The ideals put forward by the official American discourse are infinitely respectable and all the peoples of the world aspire to make them reality.

But lucidity is needed.

In the name of “American values”, the US government overthrew democratically elected governments that were protecting their people against the actions of private US companies. In the name of defending democracy, the US government supported the most cruel dictatorships in Latin America and supported Franco's Spain, Salazar's Portugal and Colonel's Greece. In the name of defending the rule of law, democracy and human rights, the US government violated international law by invading and destroying countries that did not threaten it in any way: more than fifty countries have been victims of the USA since 1945; according to the work of American academics, since 1950, the total number of deaths resulting from American interventions or occupations in the world amounted to 1.3 billion. In many cases, the justification of US interventions in the name of values has hidden the defense of private US interests. That's what Trump's National Security Strategy document calls "protecting our interests."

Among the victims of this American desire to dominate the world, I will cite only one example: a small country, attached to its neutrality, anxious to protect the integrity of its territory, knowing a growing development, not being threatened by any extremist movement, never having attacked any country, not at war with any state, became, because its choices did not please Washington, the most bombed country in the history of humanity and the country having suffered the longest chemical war, which created the conditions for the victory of the men of Pol Pot, the extermination of more than 2 million Cambodians and the almost complete disappearance of the human resources that every society needs. Between 1970 and 1979, the population of Cambodia decreased from 8 to 4.5 million, of whom 600,000 had fled the hell that had become their country. And because the survivors were liberated from the Polpotist tyranny by the Vietnamese, the US imposed the most total embargoes, preventing the survivors any help for reconstruction and development. For twelve years. In the name of American values, indeed.

Dr Raoul M. Jennar PhD
Political scientist
April 2, 2018