Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis wrote in an op-ed this week that he hopes President-elect Joe Biden will remove “America first” from the country’s national security agenda.
“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 Sunday in a Foreign Affairs op-ed, along with several foreign policy experts. “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.”
The op-ed added: “In practice, ‘America first’ has meant ‘America alone.’ That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.”
The authors wrote that it is a “delusion” to believe that “other countries will have no choice but to accede to the United States’ wishes and cooperate on its terms.”
“Sovereign countries always have choices: to compromise with aggressors, take actions opposed to U.S. interests, opt out of assistance when the United States needs it, or cooperate with one another on activities from which the United States is excluded,” they wrote.
Mattis submitted a resignation letter as secretary of defense in late 2018 that criticized the president’s foreign policy views and has since been openly critical of the president.
“We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership,” Mattis said of President Trump earlier this year. “We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens, to past generations that bled to defend our promise, and to our children.”
Trump has been outspoken about his dislike for Mattis, as well, saying last year that the former secretary is “the world’s most overrated general.”
The president reiterated that description in a Tuesday morning tweet.
“That says it all about Mattis,” Trump said. “Obama fired him. I should have fired him sooner. Did best work after he was gone. World’s most overrated general!”
That says it all about Mattis. Obama fired him. I should have fired him sooner. Did best work after he was gone. World’s most overrated general! https://t.co/2i4jPWAAPA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2020
