Brunswick Beacon, 01.25.24
With global conflicts underway in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, international shipping under attack in the Red Sea, and Russia, China, and Iran contemplating further assaults on peace, foreign policy will be on the ballot in 2024. The hard truth is that what happens outside our borders often has a major impact on our own economy and national security. One only need to look at the recent stream of refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. from failed states in Central America and wars in Ukraine and Africa to understand how foreign troubles can affect us.
To Donald Trump, foreign conflicts are only interesting if he can exploit them for personal gain. Before committing to support Ukraine in 2019, Trump tried shaking down President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “dirt” on then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. When no dirt was forthcoming, neither was White House aid.
Trump often threatened to pull the USA out of NATO, putting “America first” to his followers’ delight. Trump has no allegiance to anyone but himself. If re-elected on his retribution agenda, leaving NATO would be the least of his disruptive actions. His shameless admiration of Putin and other autocrats suggests that America will never be “first.”
Just this month, Trump suggested that he could have “negotiated” a settlement to avert America’s Civil War. If you agree that this is not leadership befitting a great nation, you do have a much better option. President Biden has been strengthening our international alliances, restoring America to a “position of trusted leadership,” and rebuilding the trust that Trump shattered.
As a former US Senator serving for 12 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has spent decades developing and maintaining strong working relationships with foreign leaders.
The challenges facing America require a steadfast commitment to working with our allies and standing up to our enemies to ensure peace and prosperity for the American people. Your choice will determine whether peace or chaos prevails. Vote accordingly.
Robert Bannerman
Supply