President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s Learning Curve
Joseph Tereniak
The election season has closed and it is time for constituents on both sides of the aisle to come to terms with the new reality of a Trump Presidency, only time will tell as to how President-Elect Trump’s policies materialize and shape his ability to command the world’s greatest fighting force. With tensions at an all-time high in many parts of the Middle-East, a burgeoning Russian footprint in Syria, and a stalemated diplomatic effort with Iran, Trump’s obstacles remain daunting.
To be successful in tackling the challenges that face him in the restive Middle-East, Trump will have to begin his campaign at home. With a seemingly clean divide down the very center of American opinion, Trump must first bolster the base that elected him as well as market his abilities to those who vehemently oppose him. Outside or garnering public support, Trump and his team will have to spend countless hours devising a plan, according to his initial wishes, that halts the military’s drawdown, recalibrates the direction of US forces deployed around the world, and do so in a way that is palatable to Congress, and most importantly, to the American People.
Adding to the skepticism of Trump’s ability to be an effective Commander-in-Chief, Vladimir Putin remains suspiciously aloof of America’s political climate. Perhaps he is waiting to see how Trump fairs within his first 100 days of assuming the Office. Regardless of the dynamic, Trump will have to reaffirm the American military’s presence in Europe. He has stated many times that he feels that US and Russia have much in common and that there is plenty of ground to gain with better US-Russian relations. It will be very interesting to see how American influence prevails in Europe given Trump’s friendly tone with Putin, and his open criticism of NATO’s legitimacy. It must also be said that dealing with Putin in Europe may be very different than dealing with Putin in the Middle-East.
As Trump will soon understand very intimately, the widespread conflict in Syria presents a unique and complicated challenge. A challenge that neither the Obama Administration nor the few leaders tapped to handle the situation fully grasped. The ongoing civil-war responsible for displacing millions of people and flooding international entry gates is a problem that will eventually warrant a higher degree of American involvement. Whether through the creation of safe zones, or agreeing on an equitable solution for taking in refugees, Trump had better get acquainted with the specifics of this devolving situation. He’s stated very plainly that the US-led effort to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels if a far cry from success. All of these problems that he at one point or another has criticized are all problems that will eventually fall on his lap.
Issues such as the reignited push for Kurdish autonomy, the consolidation of Sunni fundamentalist groups, and an increasingly Islamized Turkey will all prove ever-challenging as the US redefines its interventionist mission. President-Trump would do well to learn from recent history and taper his foreign policy and national security initiatives accordingly.
In saying all of this, no one wants President-Elect Trump to fail. The Office of the President of the United States has incomparable influence and is beholden to the entirety of the free world. To move forward productively and weigh-in on this myriad of issues, Trump must develop an understanding of how the Middle-Eastern powers project influence, and consequently, how these powers can be used to amplify America’s message abroad.
The views in this paper are the author’s and do not represent the views or positions of the US Army or the Department of Defense.