Former US security adviser warns Trump policies driving allies away

WASHINGTON: Former US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer has warned that countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East are reducing their dependence on the United States, arguing that President Donald Trump’s policies are weakening American partnerships and imposing economic costs at home.

 “The World Is Cutting Ties With America. It’s Already Costing Us,” Finer wrote in a guest essay published by The New York Times on Sunday.

He said European policymakers were expanding their defence, energy and technology industries while diversifying relations with other countries. The shift was visible at last week’s NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump renewed threats against US allies Denmark and Spain, he wrote.

Finer argued that the trend extended well beyond Europe. He attributed it to what he described as the Trump administration’s “ostentatious corruption, trade conflicts, military adventurism and mercurial artificial intelligence regulation”.

The former Biden administration official said this amounted to “a nearly global grand strategy of countries distancing themselves from the world’s most powerful nation”.

Finer said weakening partnerships were eroding Washington’s military and technological advantages at a time of intense competition with China. He argued that countries increasingly viewed self-sufficiency as a source of power.

He cited economic costs from the Iran war, including higher petrol and fertiliser prices. The increases contributed to a $132 billion burden on American consumers, according to Moody’s figures cited in the essay. (IANS)

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