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John Daniel Davidson wrote for the Federalist this week, "In what was probably the most important presidential speech in decades, President Donald Trump repudiated decades of failed interventionist U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East during an official visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday."
Not only did Trump lambast neocon “nation-building” in the region, Davidson says, "he more or less vowed never to pursue the kinds of neocon misadventures that spilt American blood and treasure over the past 25 years in the insane pursuit of creating western liberal democracies in the Middle East."
Trump's foreign policy departs from the humanist globalist philosophy that has been prevalent among Democrats and Republicans in recent years.
And it certainly aligns with biblical teaching on sovereign nationhood.
Be informed, not misled.
A historic speech.
Davidson continued:
In stark and unmistakable terms, the president reminded the world of the abject failure of decades of neocon and liberal interventionist U.S. foreign policy under both Democrat and Republican leadership. He specifically called out the trillions of U.S. tax dollars wasted in a totally unsuccessful attempt to turn Iraq and Afghanistan into western-style democracies as part of the global war on terror.
“In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built — and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” Trump said. “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neocons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.”
Davidson says, "His speech, which came after a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the signing of economic agreements totaling $600 billion in new trade deals, heralds a new approach not just to Mideast politics but to American foreign policy generally. By disavowing the nation-building ideology of the neocons and liberal interventionists that dominated U.S. foreign policy under the Bush, Obama, and Biden presidencies, Trump articulated a vision of American engagement with the world that is both more tolerant, more transactional, and less concerned with the internal affairs of other nations."
In other words, Trump’s vision of American foreign policy isn’t driven by a zeal to remake the world into some version of a liberal Western democracy.
Trump was in some ways repudiating the entire post-WWII liberal internationalist project, which was predicated on the idea that America would act as a guarantor of human rights and civil liberties for every backwater nation on the planet, ushering in an era of cooperative globalism and international harmony.
The seed of this utopian ideology was planted even earlier, with Woodrow Wilson’s fatuous notion that it was America’s job to “make the world safe for democracy.” It turns out, that’s both impossible and morally insane. And even if it were possible, it’s not necessarily America’s responsibility to make it so. America’s responsibility, as Trump rightly sees it, is to look after her own people and their interests, which is how most American leaders prior to Wilson understood our role in the world.
In his speech, President Trump said, "In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins … I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgement — my job [is] to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace."
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a $600 billion investment deal, and the president is pushing hard for the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords, one of the great achievements of his first term. That has as much to do with Iran as anything else.
Again, his goal is to make deals, not democracy. Not to change their culture.
Trump's focus is on the American people. That seems likely to benefit the American people.
God's job vs the Government's job.
The Bible teaches first that God, not the nations, is sovereign over national borders, yet nations have a real purpose.
The Bible says, “You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
Moses, representing the Old Testament law, and Paul, representing the New Testament, both agree that God ordained borders and culture. In the ancient world, sacred texts show that countries or empires had borders and recognized citizens, non-citizens, visitors, and resident aliens.
Many woke theologians claim God wants open borders, but they ignore biblical context and misquote Scripture, trying to make the Bible say something that makes them look good.
When the Most High divided their inheritance among the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel—Deuteronomy 32:8.
In the ancient world, sacred texts show that countries or empires had borders and recognized citizens, non-citizens, visitors, and resident aliens. Each person acknowledged the importance of obtaining permission to reside in a foreign land and understood the rights and responsibilities of living in someone else’s nation. The Bible addresses borders at least forty-three times.
And "borders" equate to culture and language. And laws. And deeply held beliefs.
From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands– Acts 17:26.
Takeaway
The prophet Hosea uses vivid imagery to highlight Israel’s (called Ephraim) downfall through powerful metaphors. These metaphors offer a parallel to the West surrendering its values to integrate Islamic values, multiculturalism, and other multi-faith influences.
Ephraim (Israel) has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned. Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it. Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it– Hosea 7:8-9.
Trump wisely emphasizes his foreign policy not on cultural or religious beliefs but on economic issues and national safety.
The prophet’s condemnation of Israel’s cultural and religious fusion with other peoples is seen as a parallel to the West’s current situation, where multicultural integration, including the presence of Islamic practices like Sharia law, has undermined the established principle of a singular legal system for all. The passage also shows Israel grew feeble without noticing, similar to how the West is quietly drained by these dynamics while overlooking its decline. It’s a warning about losing clarity, relevant to ancient Israel and the West.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.
