By Bola A. Akinterinwa
United States President, Donald Trump, has a purported good agenda for a new beginning for the people of America. The beginning is ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA). In making America great again, Donald Trump adopted an ‘America First’ policy. MAGA is the strategic objective while America First is the tactical policy. The notion of MAGA clearly suggests that there was the time America was great, and the time America lost its greatness. It is the recognition of the loss of US greatness that ignites the quest to MAGA. In this regard, what made America great in the past? It is a truism that the United States was not one of colonialists whose development was enhanced by exploitation of resources in the colonies. How do we explain the loss of the status of American greatness? And more concernedly, what are the dynamics of MAGA?
In the same vein, what does ‘America First’ mean and imply? Does this not imply national protectionism? Can American interest prevail over multilateral interest? Put differently, whatever is in the interest of the United States must always take precedence over the interests of other countries in international relations. This is the first implication. ‘America First’ is a reflection of ‘don’t care attitude.’ It is about a holier-than-thou, a better-than-thou attitudinal disposition. This is the path that President Donald Trump is treading currently. It is, indeed, a dangerous new beginning that is threatening global peace and insecurity.