[The Editors' Verdict] 'America First' Versus Membership in the International Community

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Il-kwon] Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton's latest book, The Room Where It Happened, is imprinted in the public mind as a source of shockwaves not only in the United States but also around the world. This is due to the indiscriminate disclosure of internal conversations within the Donald Trump administration and details of summits, which caused a huge impact. However, the book is meaningful in that it raises the question of how to balance the two elements of 'national interest' and being a 'member of the international community' when leading a country.

In particular, the Trump administration's foreign policy, which considered only 'national interest' as the sole factor rather than 'what should be done as a member of the international community,' was reaffirmed through this book. After taking office in 2017, the Trump administration began withdrawing from international treaties. It abandoned the Paris Climate Agreement and the nuclear deal with Iran, and despite opposition from allies such as Germany, it also withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Former advisor Bolton criticized the Paris Climate Agreement by emphasizing that although signatories were required to set national targets, the goals were unclear and there was no enforcement mechanism, calling it "theology disguised as policy." He also neutralized the Open Skies Treaty, which Russia and others participated in, describing it as "just giving up airspace."

Although not a treaty, despite the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Trump administration halted funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and effectively paralyzed the World Trade Organization (WTO) by not appointing members to its appellate body. Additionally, weakening NATO, engaging in tariff wars, and imposing sanctions even against allies were all decisions made in the context of national interest.

Bolton's push during his tenure to withdraw from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an extreme example of prioritizing national interest. The CTBT is an international treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 1996 to ban all nuclear tests, including underground nuclear tests excluded from the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT). Bolton argued that to resume underground nuclear testing, which had been halted since 1992, the U.S. needed to free itself from the shackles of the CTBT. He emphasized that unlike China, India, and other nuclear powers that have not joined the CTBT and are thus prepared to conduct tests at any time, the U.S. was not in the same position.

In his book, he stated, "The United States signed the treaty but has not ratified it," and expressed dissatisfaction with being "caught in the ambiguous state of international law." He did not hide his frustration with the 'customary international law' under the Vienna Convention, which requires adherence to treaties even if they have not been ratified.

Although Bolton has left the White House, his influence remains in the Trump administration’s policy direction, which heavily weighted national interest over being a member of the international community. Bolton described America First as "a break from the leadership led by the United States after World War II."

No country in the world does not pursue national interest. However, there are clear values that countries must uphold for international peace and order. If countries abandon climate agreements just because others do not comply, the Earth will become polluted faster. If countries each go their own way while trying to check those who do not abide by nuclear test regulations, the result will be mutual destruction.

The reason why the world’s attention is focused on this year’s U.S. presidential election is because of this background. As the election approaches, the race is extremely close, making the outcome unpredictable. However, if America First is extended for another four years, U.S. political history will clearly be divided into before and after the Trump administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.