By Amber Wilson
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
President Donald Trump is a white nationalist, but one international affairs scholar says this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Henry Nau, a former Reagan administration staffer and a political science professor at George Washington University, said in a speech Monday night at Towson University that while he does not think white nationalism is good, Trump’s brand of nationalism is designed to protect the country.
“I’m not saying white nationalism is good or right,” Nau said. “I’m saying his instinct to protect our country first is good, not the racial aspect. That’s bad.”
According to Nau, nationalism is less about caring for one’s country in a negative and toxic way and more about ensuring security and safety on the global stage.
“Nationalism is focused on protecting control from other nations first,” Nau said. “Presidents seek to ensure safety at boarders and at sea. This is nothing new or bad.”
“When we get attacked, nationalism is the perspective we all come to identify with,” Nau said. “It unifies us.”
Nau spoke as part of the Fall 2019 installment of the Eric A. Belgrad Speaker Series sponsored by the Towson University Journal of International Affairs. The series aims to bring a variety of speakers to the community to discuss the relationship between today’s American politics and their context in international relations.
Nau served on Reagan’s National Security Council from 1981 to 1983 as a senior staff member responsible for international economic affairs. He has written several books about U.S. foreign policy, including “Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and Reagan.” His speech as given at Towson’s Liberal Arts building and was attended by an estimated 100 people.
Nau said Trump’s foreign policy actions are not much different from other American presidents.
“If you read a biography on President Andrew Jackson, you’d think you’re reading one on Donald Trump,” Nau said. “They have a lot of similarities on foreign policy and nationalism.”
Trump seeks to avoid war like any other leader, but he does not avoid it for diplomatic reasons like President Barack Obama, Nau said. He said Trump avoids war to protect U.S. interests and security.
Nau said Trump wants to defend and keep current U.S. allies, but he also wants to form allies with nations that could become a burden in the future. Nau noted Russia and North Korea as examples.
It is not bad or unusual for presidents or leaders to put their nation’s interests ahead of other interests, Nau said, adding that such attitudes are natural.
The divide Trump has created between U.S. and other countries is what complicates things and makes nationalism seem so negative, Nau said. He said regular partisan disagreements are nothing to worry about.
“Partisanship is not bad. You want partisanship,” Nau said. “Partisanship is the essence of the republic our Founding Fathers created in the 1700s.”