Trump will no longer position himself as the leader of the free world
If it were up to Donald Trump, his US would not be immediately eager to defend Taiwan in the event of a possible attack by China. He said this during a conversation with Bloomberg news agency. Foreign commentator Bernard Hummelberg thinks this is a valid point. “If you think Taiwan deserves support, you should recognize it as a country too, and no one will do that.”
Trump will no longer position himself as the leader of the free world
According to Hummelberg, there is something hypocritical in the ‘compassion for Taiwan’ that we all have. After all, ties with Taiwan were severed in the 1970s. ‘The US doesn’t recognize the country, but the Netherlands doesn’t officially.’
The question of whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack is difficult to answer, Hummelberg believes. “Trump knows that there are many American soldiers stationed there and that Taiwan is well-armed by the United States.” But Trump says if Taiwan needs security, it should pay for it. That is the theme he has been talking about for a long time.’
illiterate
In that respect, Taiwan is in the same situation as Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti, but also European countries such as the UK, Italy and Germany. “There are American bases everywhere,” says Hummelburg, referring to the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, an important political principle in American history named after then-President James Monroe. “If America is in danger, it has the right to defend itself. For that reason, a full belt of soldiers has been placed around the world.’
Why Trump wants to abandon that policy is unclear to Hamelburg. “I have a feeling Trump didn’t read that theory or maybe didn’t come to school that day.” Trump’s rationale is that a country must pay for aid, as South Korea did during Trump’s first term as president. ‘They clearly don’t want that debate.’
Guardian of the free world
The question is whether Taiwan will also pull its purse strings if Trump returns to power. “It could be,” Hummelburg says. But the end of this story, he thinks the message is different. America will invest a lot in defense under Trump, but it will only aim to protect our own country. Trump, if he becomes president again, will no longer see himself as the leader of the free world.’
“Coffee fanatic. Friendly zombie aficionado. Devoted pop culture practitioner. Evil travel advocate. Typical organizer.”