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Sten Tolgfors: That is why the election is of great importance for our country
This is a discussion article. The author is responsible for the opinions expressed in the text, not Aftonbladet.
If Trump wins, the uncertainty surrounding America’s commitment to security in Europe may increase. It is of great importance to Sweden. Our security depends on the transatlantic link, writes Sten Tolgfors.
Photo: TT / AP
DEBATE. In two weeks, there will be presidential elections in United States. It is a very important choice for Sweden. Foreign and security policy, which affects us directly, is one of the main dividing lines between Joe biden Y Donald trump.
President Trump is critical of multilateral organizations, such as the UN, the WHO, the WTO, and NATO. They bind their actions and reduce America’s ability to gain advantage in bilateral negotiations by virtue of its size and strength.
Donald Trump also does not like international relations governed by laws and contracts, which unite the United States. It leaves the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, criticizes the Start nuclear agreement, has blocked the WTO dispute resolution mechanisms and has refused to explicitly confirm Article 5 of NATO.
Trump is transactional, he sees most things as a negotiation, a transaction where both parties give and receive but where the United States will appear as the winner according to his “America First” line. If a country or player is unsafe or in a vulnerable position, it gives them the opportunity to make a better deal.
Under Trump, unlike previous Republican leaders, America’s foreign policy is not based on upholding values such as democracy and human freedom. On the contrary, he criticizes friends and allied democracies more harshly than Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong-Un of North Korea, who is not criticized at all. The United States has never seen a United States send such signals before.
Donald Trump describes the EU as an opponent of the United States, which uses the United States as a market. He lobbied for Brexit and wants to negotiate with the EU member states separately. So the relative strength of the United States increases. A common European approach, as in trade policy, weakens the relative size of the United States.
The paradox in this is that the United States, especially because of China’s economic and military growth, depends more on its allies and friends today than before. The United States is no longer a global political hegemony, even though it has by far the largest defense spending in the world. That was the case after the fall of the wall, but that is changing.
Security is a broad concept and includes economic development, civil security, political force, military capability, and the impact of security policy. Of course, America’s friends and allies depend on America’s support, but the dependency is reciprocal in several ways. Without allies and friends, the United States would fundamentally lose strength and America’s own interests would suffer.
It is not just defense, but the soft power of the United States that makes the country unique, that is, the fact that the country has strong alliances and collaborations with the world’s democracies. This multiplies the influence and power of the United States, it does not weaken the United States, as Trump seems to think. No other great power has this opportunity to cooperate with world democracies, with which the country shares fundamental values.
If Donald Trump sees insecurity among allies and friends as a way to gain political advantage, then Joe Biden has in many respects the opposite view of foreign policy. Uncertainty about the will and intentions of the United States damages the security and stability of all involved. International organizations, treaties, and dispute resolution mechanisms provide predictability, stabilizing international relations.
Biden wants to see values-based American leadership in foreign policy. He is multilateralist, that is, he believes that the United States must increase its participation in and for international organizations.
Biden is a staunch defender of NATO and a strong NATO, which he calls the most successful alliance in world history. America’s commitment to cooperation, allies, and friends must be reassured.
Biden will renew the Start agreement on nuclear weapons control. He wants the United States to return to the Iran nuclear deal if Iran follows through on the deal, which has been a major issue for Europe. Biden wants to return the United States to the Paris Agreement.
Biden wants the United States to act against genocide and the use of chemical weapons, where Obama did not maintain the red lines that the country drew, but is like Trump critical of interventions followed by prolonged presence and state-building projects in disintegrating countries. .
Biden believes that economic development is part of security policy. His basic view is that national and security politics are interconnected and start at home. The values that are protected in the country must be supported outside the country. Yet Democrats are not traditional friends of free trade, and Biden’s take on the country’s defense spending remains to be seen.
If Biden wins, we can expect the United States to be more engaged with its friends and allies, support NATO’s security commitments, and act on common democratic values.
If Trump, who acts differently in foreign policy than the Republican leaders before him, wins, the uncertainty around America’s commitment to security in Europe may increase, which plays a role in the safety of friends and allies. .
A United States that works to uphold common democratic values, prioritizes working with friends and allies, and reassures its commitments in NATO is of great importance to Sweden. Our security depends on the transatlantic link.
Sten Tolgfors, former Minister of Commerce and Defense. Now a partner at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs
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