America First: A Three-Part Documentary | TV advice

Donald Trump has placed the United States at the center of his foreign policy. A three-part documentary now shows the chaotic effects of his decisions.

Perhaps this is the only slogan with which Donald Trump summed up his plans as president better than anything else: “America first!” Finally, as the former President of the United States promised, it is about his country again. International allies, trading partners, and neighboring countries are left behind. But of course Trump was only able to fulfill very few of his many election promises – how was that again with “building the wall!” And “lock it up!” Therefore, the three-part documentary “America First – Assessing Tenure” addresses the question of the impacts that Trump’s foreign policy has already had.

Each of the three parts, broadcast one by one, focuses on a different geographical area and Donald Trump’s dealings with it. Part One “Europe Must Pay” begins when Trump takes office. From the start, the new president had been hostile to his allies on the other side of the Atlantic. It endangered the Paris climate agreement and plunged NATO into the biggest crisis in its history. While he offends heads of state in France or the United Kingdom, he has nothing but charity to Vladimir Putin. The film features eyewitness reports and interviews with Trump employees and experts. It becomes clear: Trump has treated diplomacy like business.

Trump cancels agreements and sparks trade wars

Part Two, “Our Enemy in the Middle East,” is about Trump’s messy policy in the Middle East. He moves the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and later arranges an agreement between Israel and the UAE, but it seems he is not interested in the Palestinians. It also ended the nuclear deal with Iran and withdrew US forces from Syria, leaving the Kurdish rebels. At the same time, he is angry with the Syrian dictator Al-Assad and wishes to kill him.

Finally, Part Three, “China Will Not Overcome Us,” deals with Trump’s policy in East Asia. The president wants to impose his will on North Korea, but he risks nuclear war because of its diplomatic impotence. But Trump’s real focus is on China. On the one hand, he started a trade war with the People’s Republic of China, but at the same time he admired the dictator Xi Jinping and commended him for the concentration camp in Xinjiang. He would like to sign an agreement the day the Security Council first discusses the mysterious virus that was just discovered in Wuhan …

America First – A Term Review starts at 8.15 PM, 9.15 PM, and 10.15 PM at Arte.

6. April 2021 // Matthias Jordan