Trump road trip message for U.S. allies and partners
(Get in line with me or say bye, bye)
My introduction to the story
posted below: As we
all know by now Trump will use any tactic or method or threat to get his and
even if he does not get his way, he will still “claim victory.”
That is his
M.O. and has been all his life. He does not hesitate to bash friendly ally, or
partner, and close friend, either (e.g., threats to NATO and the EU if they don’t
pay more for U.S. security; threats to greatly reduce U.S. Forces in Korea just
to appease Kim, Jung-un; threat to the UK to follow him on his Iranian policy stance
or to suffer trade and business repercussions; the mess with Turkey still
brewing; and, now this latest Trump move against another ally, Pakistan, as
seen in the story that follows:
WASHINGTON, DC (from Reuters) – The
Trump administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers
from a coveted training and educational programs that have been a hallmark of
bilateral military relations between the U.S. and our allied military for more
than a decade. Highlights from the Reuters story is
also seen in their video report at the first 1:15 seconds about Pakistan [click
the link below to see the video]:
The move impacting Pakistan and which has not been previously reported the suspension of Pakistan from the U.S. program – the International Military Education and Training program (*IMET) — now closing off seats that had been set aside for 66 Pakistani officers this year (announcement by a State Department spokesperson to Reuters).
Why is Trump doing this? Simple: He again uses our
programs to punish an ally to get them in line and on board for anything he
wants them to do or agree to do.
In this case, he wants to compel them to crack
down on Islamic militants which he says they are not doing enough.
The Pentagon
and the Pakistani military did not comment directly on this decision or the
internal deliberations, but officials from both countries have privately
criticized the move as a bad move.
For example, some U.S. officials speaking to
Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said they were worried the decision
could undermine a key trust-building measure, e.g., Dan Feldman, former U.S.
special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, called the move “very
short-sighted and myopic (shortsighted),” adding: “This will have lasting
negative impacts limiting the bilateral relationship well into the future.”
Some
Pakistani officials warned it could push their military to further look to
China or Russia for leadership training.
My 2 cents: That possible aspect of Pakistan looking
to China or Russia for their military officer’s leadership training is very
worrisome – why?
What would they teach? Obviously anti-American tactics
and approaches to dealing with us from the Chinese or Russian playbook. That
outcome is not pretty since now up to this point, we and our allies have all
shared the same unity playbook while dealing with both China and Russia or
other adversaries around the globe.
Thus, this is indeed a very crappy move by
Trump. And, worse, Trump apparently does not take advice from senior military officers
and DOD or State officials about stopping this program for Pakistan – it is not
a good move, period.
*IMET (International
Military Education and Training) is the title of a U.S. security assistance program –
foreign officer student exchange program.
Congress established the IMET program in the
International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976. The
policies are directed by the State Department and the constituent projects are
administered by DOD.
Projects include, but
are not limited to:
1. Invitations for officers from foreign countries to
attend various military schools in the United States: the Army War College, or
the National Defense University.
2. Also, it provides funding for U.S. trainers to
travel to foreign countries to provide specific and localized training such as English
language classes, training with human rights concepts, and the law of war.
A complete list of topics varies by year, and may encompass
several hundred distinct courses [click here to
see the list].
Trump in a word has no idea how to be president – only how to be a strong-arm thug and bully to get his way via his so-called “Art of the Deal” or more apt that I
call it: “Art of the Con.”
Thanks for stopping by.
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