NDAA sanctions could Make America Abandoned

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To Make America "Great" Again, Donald Trump's 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) fired bullets at a slew of countries including not only China-like "rivals" but also traditional allies such as Germany and Turkey. Apart from negative rhetoric on issues related to China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the act lists Syria, Turkey, and most controversially, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as targets of sanctions.

Originally designed to transport natural gas directly from Russia and Germany, the pipeline is seen by Berlin as essential for its energy security. U.S. punitive measures on companies involved in the project will undeniably exert tremendously negative effects on ties between the two allies. Immediately after the NDAA's passage, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz lashed out at it as "serious interference in Germany and Europe's internal affairs and our own sovereignty."

Washington justified sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as protection of Ukraine's interests and prevention of Russia's "undue leverage over Europe." Admittedly, the pipeline, if bypassing Ukraine, would mean huge financial losses for the country. But the Moscow-Kiev agreement clinched this month has ensured Ukraine's transit status in the project. "Hard to understand" is how Ulrike Demmer, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, responded to Washington's Ukraine concerns.

Given this, the fear of Germany's becoming a "captive" of Russia sounds more like the real motive for the sanctions. In the era of global integration, systematic differences should be no longer a determinant in a country's foreign policy. However, American politicians are still obstinate in Cold War zealotry and its hostility against the socialist camp. From their perspective, a Western country's friendly ties with China or Russia are a result of its succumbing to economic interests.

Such a mentality is absurd. For any sovereign state in the 21st century, national interest is a top priority in their handling of foreign relations. In the Nord Stream 2 case, Germany has its own commercial and security considerations that should be independent of U.S. interference.

Since Trump took office under his America First doctrine, the White House has been acting in self-contradictory fashion in foreign policy. On the one hand, it is pursuing to Make America Great Again at the cost of the interests of its allies. But on the other, it cannot accept its allies walking closer to its imaginary enemies such as Russia and China and is adept at using the "alliance" to pressure them into a unified stance with the United States.

Take Germany as an example. Several times Trump has launched verbal attacks on Berlin for its trade surplus and failure to shoulder more defense spending. In blaming Germany, the U.S. is prioritizing its national interests over that of its allies. But in the meantime, this capricious superpower cannot accept Merkel's pursuit to Make Germany Great Again, which the U.S. believes is a betrayal of the alliance.

Washington sacrifices allies' interests for self-gain, but has been playing the alliance card to interfere in allies' domestic affairs. It has relentlessly pressured Berlin to ban China's telecommunications giant Huawei from the country's networks and to give up energy cooperation with Russia by imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Washington is blatantly bullying its allies.

Such unilateral and selfish moves must be harshly denounced and resisted. Having habituated to its hegemonic status in the world, the U.S. has been acting capriciously toward friends and foes alike under a capricious president. Trump's will to Make America Great Again is understandable and has nothing to blame. But if the U.S. insists on taking advantage of the alliance to thwart other countries' will to grow, it will only Make American Abandoned in the era of globalization.