In recent weeks, much attention has been focused on an important election the other side of the Atlantic. On 8th November, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the race to determine who will be the next President of the United States of America.
Ultimately Presidential elections are a matter for US citizens, and not for us in the UK. We quite rightly get annoyed when foreign statesmen try to interfere in our electoral process, so it is only fair to treat other countries with the same dignity and respect with which we ourselves expect to be treated.
For this reason, I intentionally did not involve myself in the running commentary on the election ahead of the result. However, now the American people have spoken, and we have a new President-elect (Donald Trump does not take office until the formal handover of power on 20th January - until then, Barack Obama is still President), I wanted to share my thoughts on how this election will impact people in the UK. As it is US foreign policy which will largely affect us here in the UK, I will focus upon that.
First, some concerns have been raised about the President-Elect’s commitment to NATO, and particularly mutual defence. He said that defending countries would depend on whether the country concerned has “fulfilled their obligations to us.” These comments are, on the face of them, a concern. However, in practice, once the new President takes office, he will no doubt get clear advice on the importance of our defensive alliance.
The key obligation to which he refers – that NATO members spend 2% of GDP on defence spending – is an obligation that we in the UK meet, but unfortunately many other NATO members do not. It is not unreasonable to ask other members to help do their bit to contribute to the alliance from which they benefit. While I would never advocate withholding support from an ally under attack, at the same time other countries should do their bit, and not leave the USA (and the UK) picking up the bill.
Second, while he seems to be looking to roll back on other larger trade deals, the President-elect supported Brexit (often quoting it in his campaign) and given the similar economic priorities and wage levels in the UK & US, a trade deal with a post-Brexit UK would likely be welcomed.
After a divisive campaign, the USA now needs to unite behind its new leader, and with the smooth transition promised by President Obama, show the world that democracy works.