Opposing takes on US foreign policy

Pro-government commentators welcome President Trump’s isolationist foreign policy. A left-wing commentator, on the other hand, calls it bad news for Europe and the world.

Magyar Hírlap’s Mariann Őry welcomes President Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria. The pro-government commentator thinks that the Obama administration’s decision to arm Syrian rebels contributed to the escalation of the crisis and increased the flow of refugees from the Middle East to Europe. Őry agrees with President Trump that the US has nothing to do in Syria after the defeat of ISIS, and thinks that President Trump respects national sovereignty rather than playing the global policeman.

In Magyar Idők, László Szőcs also welcomes the anti-interventionist turn of US foreign policy. Szőcs suggests that under President Trump, the US does not want to interfere with national sovereignty. This implies, the pro-government columnist suspects, that US diplomacy will also not put pressure on Hungary in the way it did under the Obama administration. He notes nonetheless that the US pullout from Syria may create a power vacuum, and further destabilization in the region could result in even more Syrians fleeing.

Népszava’s Mária Gál finds it sad that the US has given up its mission to defend and promote democracy abroad. The left-wing pundit accuses President Trump of ignoring the implications of his isolationist policy line. Gál suspects that the US withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan will result in chaos. She goes on to claim by putting its economic interests first, the US under President Trump is willing to trade with dictatorial regimes. Gál finds it particularly sad for Europe that the US is unlikely to impose new sanctions on Russia.

Tags: diplomacy, foreign affairs, Trump, US