Ex-Defense Secretary Mattis urges Joe Biden to end Trump’s ‘America first’ policy

“In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate ‘America first’ from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades,” Mattis wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine in an op-ed published Monday.

“The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances – both necessary to achieving defense in depth,” he continued.

Mattis, who stepped down in December 2018 after clashing with Trump’s policy against protracted engagement in Syria, said “‘America first’ has meant ‘America alone.'”

“The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth,” Mattis wrote adding that the policy “has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.”

https://nypost.com/2020/11/24/jim-mattis-urges-biden-to-end-trumps-america-first-policy/