Thomas B. Wilner: Trump Sells Out Our Allies

And in doing so makes the world a far more dangerous place.

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin during the G20 Summit, June 28, 2019, in Osaka, Japan. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

By Thomas B. Wilner

Of all President Donald Trump’s actions since assuming power, the ones that are likely to cause the greatest harm to U.S. interests over the long run are the changes he has made to our foreign policy, particularly with respect to Ukraine. The post-World War II order was based on alliances undergirded by U.S. security guarantees. The so-called U.S. security umbrella fostered U.S. leadership throughout the world while enabling allied nations to pursue economic development and trade without engaging in costly arms races, including in many cases development of their own nuclear weapons.

It is amazing how quickly a world order built over decades that has generally been successful in securing peace and prosperity can be destroyed.

That system has ge…