US President Donald Trump has unveiled new National Security Strategy in which he has emphasized to protect the American interests. US President has specifically mentioned the major problem area confronting the nation- terming these as the rouge state North Korea and the dictatorship in Iran.
Major focus of the new National Security Strategy is to advance the US interests and to establish the balance of power. Whenever any nation commits to advance the influence it means country is focused to control the world with its might. Military influence is the major component of the general influence. The new US strategy explicitly mentions it. Same way balance of power leads to the establishment of the alliances and often is a cause of worry as when it breaks then the wars and other serious impacts emerge. World has experience for the same as since the time of Vienna conference 1814 the European states maintained the balance of power and everything appeared peaceful and with its dissolution the First World War was thrust on the human civilization by these failing European countries. Hence balance of power is not a solution to the world this is the reason that India like countries since independence have opposed the balance of power and alliance system. The US strategy is therefore to be looked with deep historical insights and its likely consequence on the global politics.
US President identifies threats from four major countries in which Russia and China are threat for the power, influence and interests of the USA. The Strategy therefore clearly establishes the major foe of US whom it will now attempt to limit which may lead to more intense arms race and possibilities of the wars. US accept that these countries are modernizing their armies and have emerged as threat to its interests and influence. The strategy also underlines the threat emanating from North Korea and Iran to USA and its allies.
The strategy also establishes the desire of US to lead the world. US wants to lead the world as it believes when US did not lead the world the malign actors filled the void of the leadership and when it leads then all benefits. The clear indication is towards China and Russia which in its opinion are attempting successfully to lead the world. The strategy therefore highlights the US objective in the international politics where it wants to maintain its previous role of world leadership. It also recognizes that after the end of the cold war US was complacent and other forces grew. Thus the issue of global leadership has been highlighted by the Strategy. This clear statement does not bode well for the world as it in all probabilities will lead towards more conflicts and tensions as the newly emerging powers including China and Russia will not take it easy to deal with US. Hence a new era of confrontation is destined to follow. The strategy is therefore openly in support of aggressive policy makings by US in the name of protecting the US interests.
The strategy outlines four vital national interests in which first two are genuine and every nation state will follow the same. The first vital interests are to protect the American people, the homeland, and the American way of life. This interest is genuine as all countries will like to do so. This is major objective as well goal of every independent, sovereign nation state.
The second vital interests are to promote American prosperity. Every nation state aims to do so. US is no exception so this interest is a a valid interest. This interest can be harmful when US in the name of this interest is involved in distorting the global trade rules or military-nuclear deterrence. As it has done in the field of providing subsidies to agricultural community and has blocked further progress of the multilateral organizations as WTO though it has promised in its National Security Strategy to work for the multilateral organizations but only by leading these.
Third and fourth national interests are not towards the positive interests of the other nation states.
The third vital interest is enunciated in the National Security Strategy is to preserve peace through strength. Here strength is undefined. Every country has legitimate value to strengthen itself against any attack on its sovereignty, independence but this is undefined as to what is the extent of the strength as defined in terms of national power. This may lead to the accumulation of more conventional and modern war equipments and technologies. This also does not bode well for the global community which is always in search of the tranquility and progress. Smaller and weak nation states may find quite hard to deal with this aspiration of US that peace establishment in the global arena is possible by the strength, a term which needs more clarifications.
The fourth vital interest which the strategy highlights is to advance American influence. This interest if practiced in full form will place the world in troubles. The US will decide the limits of its influence and that will be the maximum most. This interest therefore suggests the psychology of US with respect to the global domination in every sphere of global interactions.
World is to move into a new territory after the announcement of the National Security Strategy by the United States of America. This territory though will be more troubling for all those who wish to keep this world safe from conflict.
Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava,Vice Chairman,CSSP, Kanpur; e mail: [email protected]