Spotlight: 0:17
Hello and welcome to our Spotlight program. In this episode, we delve into three pressing issues that have sparked intense debate and controversy in the realm of US foreign policy under the Trump administration. We’ll explore the recent halt of aid to Ukraine, a move that has raised questions about America’s commitment to its global alliances. Also, we’ll discuss the ongoing displacement of Palestinians and Trump pushing his plan for them.
And of course, we can’t leave out the tariffs Washington’s imposed on Canada, China and Mexico and their implications for trade relations and global economy. We’ll unpack these critical topics and their impact on both domestic and international fronts right after this report.
Reporter: 1:00
US President Donald Trump since taking office has done what he could to turn the tide against what some call is Washington’s downfall in the world economy and politics. Trump has ordered additional 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, taking the accumulated tariffs on China to 20 percent.
Beijing swiftly responded with tit-for-tat levies on a wide range of US products. The Trump administration has also imposed 25 percent tariffs on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico. Both countries have promised to respond in kind.
Trudeau:
Like the American tariffs, our response will also be far-reaching and include everyday items.
Reporter:
Trump has tried to reverse what his predecessor did regarding the war in Ukraine. The current US administration suspended all military assistance to Kiev, including weapons that are in transit or stored in Poland. Trump accuses Kiev of not being genuinely committed to peace. The decision follows a contentious meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they were unable to finalize a deal on Ukraine’s minerals.
Trump:
Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
Zelensky:
I’m not telling you–
Trump:
Because you’re in no position to dictate that. Remember that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. … And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said it should have.
Vance:
Have you said thank you once?
Zelensky:
A lot of times.
Reporter: 2:37
In West Asia, Trump has called for Palestinians to be displaced from the Gaza Strip and the territory to be transformed into a beach destination, even as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
Israel has meanwhile embraced what it says is an alternative to [the] US proposal for the ceasefire and the release of the regime’s captives held in Gaza. It has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine or other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has even warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war. With all this uncertainty regarding the world politics, Washington has done nothing to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians or others globally.
Spotlight: 3:24
Well, I’d like now to welcome our two guests that will be joining us in this episode. Mr. John Steppling, author and commentator from Norway. And Mr. Gilbert Doctorow, independent international affairs analyst from Brussels, Belgium. Well both of you, thank you very much for joining us. It’s a pleasure to have you with us in this episode of The Spotlight.
Gentlemen, I’d like to start off with Mr. Doctorow, actually. Mr. Doctorow, let’s start off with the reality that basically everything that we’ve heard from Donald Trump has been going since he’s been inaugurated is completely the opposite of what he’s promised during his presidential campaign. To what extent of that do you agree?
Gilbert Doctorow, PhD:
No, I don’t agree. He said that he would be looking for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine problem as one of his highest priorities. And many of the actions that we have seen, particularly over the last two weeks, have been precisely in that realm. They’ve been dramatic, they’ve been historic, and they’re pointing the United States in the direction of what really may be a way out of the Ukraine war.
Spotlight: 4:41
Yes, well actually I’m going to go over, we’re going to cross over a bit to Mr. John Steppling. Mr. Steppling, in your opinion, what message does the cessation actually of this aid to Ukraine send to other nations that actually rely on the US support?
Steppling:
Well, I think Ukraine, the support for Ukraine was a unique situation. You have to remember the US essentially fomented this conflict. They interfered in the Ukrainian elections. They were interfering in everything, all the way back to the Russian elections in 1996. So their fingerprints are all over everything, and they had troops in the region, they were building, they had bio-weapon labs in Ukraine and so forth.
5:35
So it was a very complex situation, and the US wanted this conflict. It made a great deal of money for the defense industry, in the US in particular. They poured a bunch of weapons and ammunition into Ukraine, a lot of it outdated, a lot of it was stuff Ukraine couldn’t even use.
But again, the economy, the economic aspect of it prevails. So now suddenly Trump is going to withdraw all support, which is great. I mean, terrific. There should never have been any support in the first place. What’s really going on here though is what’s happening in Europe, with the European Commission in the EU and leadership in the EU countries, because they are pledging and to continue supplying Ukraine and continue the fight against Russia, and that Russia is an existential threat and all this absurdity.
6:40
Even here in Norway, the government is pondering using the surplus oil fund, I forget what they actually officially call it, but it’s trillions of dollars, and it’s something they are loathe to touch at all. They are suddenly considering using it to help support Ukraine and the fight against Russia. The manufacturing of this Russiaphobia has been one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen. And you know, Russia and Putin and Lavrov and different representatives keep saying, “Look, Russia is not going to invade anybody; it’s not in our interest to invade anybody; we’re not a threat. We wanted to stop the expansion of NATO; we didn’t want missiles on our border.”
7:31
All of which was perfectly reasonable and was promised to them anyway decades before. So I’m perfectly happy that Trump is stopping support, but I think we’re going to have to see if the EU follows through on this. I honestly can’t imagine that they are capable of following through, and the war is lost anyway. So this may just be their performing political, you know, dance numbers for their domestic audiences and it’s nothing more than that, I think.
Spotlight: 8:11
Well, Mr. Doctorow, Mr. Steppling brought up some very interesting points, the backing by a European and especially by the EU to Ukraine itself. But I do have to ask you, there’s been many critics that have labeled Trump’s decision to halt the aid as reckless. But you have many people asking, I mean, was this, what motivated this decision? Was it actually more personal interest, more than national interest, as some analysts are saying, in your opinion?
Doctorow: 8:35
That type of criticism and kind of ad hominem argument is not acceptable. It is a polite form of slander. Donald Trump is often seen by many, many people in the States, and abroad, as a buffoon, a superficial person, someone who really isn’t capable of serious politics. He’s a businessman. He’s looking for his personal interest in this or that deal.
This is nonsense. In the last three weeks, we have seen Trump perform as one of the most skilled geopolitical actors on the face of the earth. He has been choreographing, or his people have choreographed for him the appearances of his most important and most capable assistants, like Rubio, like Witkoff, Hegseth.
9:31
They have come in a succession and have built upon these preceding speeches or actions like JD Vance in Munich at the Security Conference. They have built up a very clearly defined policy. The policy is to call out the European Union as being undemocratic, as a region which has no faith in its own voters and is trying to insulate itself from political will of the people. And in that case, the United States cannot support Europe. I think later today, or tomorrow our time, at 9 PM Eastern time in the States, Trump is going to appear before a joint session of Congress.
10:25
And it is widely rumored and expected that he will announce the United States withdrawing from NATO. This is unbelievable change. Does that mean the United States is withdrawing from the world [as] some of its critics in the States say? Nothing of the sort, just as a different concept of the world and something that many countries, including Iran, should pay attention to. The new concept that Donald Trump has is not NATO, this alliance, that alliance, it is the big powers.
The big powers are easily identifiable. They are Russia, China, United States and most likely in addition, India. So there will be the big three or four who will be the new governing board of the world and who will provide for each other buffer zones, areas of interest, so they do not collide and they will be responsible collectively for global security and for peace. That is very different from what has gone on for the last 70 years with the United States has been, as my fellow panelist said, has had its fingerprints all over everything, everywhere, with the 700 or 800 military bases around the world getting involved in the minutiae in the micromanagement of the whole world, gone. That’s going. All alliances are scrapped because they only serve to weigh down the United States and getting involved in disputes of which it has no national interest.
Spotlight: 12:10
Yes, exactly. Mr. Doctorow, I’m going to stop you here for a moment. You did point out some very interesting points. I do want to use those and cross over to Mr. Steppling in Norway just a bit.
Mr. Steppling, Mr. Doctorow mentioned that before being President, Trump was known and is still known as a businessman first of all. And he did talk about how this has been weighing on the US. If we move over to the point of, of course, Trump’s move, his tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, How do you assess the impact of these tariffs on US farmers, excuse me, manufacturers, particularly in light of the trade war with China? I mean, his being known as a businessman. Were these decisions based on sound economic principles, Yes or no?
Steppling: 12:47
Well, I don’t think there is a yes or no answer exactly. We’ll see what happens. You know, the United States is frightened of Chinese manufacturing power, economic power. They produce– everything they produce is superior to what’s produced in the United States, certainly in high-tech areas.
The tariffs may be sustained or may not. That’s my question. Mr. Doctorow is quite right, though, to point out if Trump withdraws from NATO, this is an extraordinary thing. This will have far more long lasting effects and repercussions than the the terror of trade war. Withdrawing from NATO changes the foreign policy playbook. I honestly– I’m waiting to see if it actually happens tomorrow, because it will be extraordinary if that’s what he does.
And it will cause Europe to reassess its foreign policy. I can’t believe they will support Ukraine, for example. But Trump is also right when he calls the EU undemocratic. It is. What is Macron still doing in power?
14:07
Why are these elections ignored, overturned? Look at what happened in Romania. On and on and on. So we’re already seeing a number of dissident voices, Italy, Orban in Hungary, people that want nothing to do with participating in this Ukraine war. As for the tariffs and the trade, it’s probably not ultimately sustainable.
Certainly, American farmers and agricultural growers and so forth are going to be in a very difficult situation with this, but it remains to be seen, as I say, how sustainable these decisions are. Right now, I think the overriding, the first issue of importance is Ukraine and NATO, and this is going to color everything. Now, it should be noted that Trump has also suggested buying Greenland and annexing Canada, and he wants to turn Gaza into Dubai in Palestine. These are … slightly insane ideas, and you know, one wishes the handling of the Gaza and the West Bank, the whole Palestinian question, Israel, one wishes desperately that his vision of that were different. But in that sense, he’s identical to every other US president, and Israel is essentially part of the United States at this point, and perhaps always was. So that’s not surprising.
16:00
I think that the outcry is more about Trump’s style and presentation, the fact that he brought in Elon Musk for this efficiency experiment, which has, you know, there’s been a kind of mass firing of federal workers and so forth. That may or may not be sustainable as well. I mean some of this stuff may get rolled back, because we’ve never seen it happen like this, and I don’t think anybody knows what the even medium-term repercussions of this are.
Spotlight:
Exactly, exactly Mr. Steppling. As you are mentioning this point, before we do move over to the topic of Gaza and the displacement of the Gazans and since you did mention that. I do want to cross over a bit to Mr. Doctorow.
Mr. Doctorow, I mean our guest does have a very important point about how things have been going, how this is the first time many people have seen such the interaction between the Ukrainian president and Donald Trump the other day from the Oval Office. Why is it that Donald Trump is acting as– in his executive orders, his actions, his speeches, everything he does, he acts– as if he owns the world and that he can do as he like. What gives this man this right?
Doctorow: 17:17
All of his predecessors. He’s not the first president to act as if he owns the world. The acronym that’s used for the presidency, it’s POTUS. This is the emperor, so he’s not doing anything out of line with his predecessors when he behaves that way. The point though is that his negotiating style is entirely different from what academics would recognize or expect. He is a lot of bluster.
He is a master at confusion. He’s not confused, but he’s working very hard to confuse his opponents, to neutralize them while he is quietly doing what he wants to do. And when he does make statements that seem insane, like the plans for a Trump resort in Gaza, I don’t believe that for a minute. He’s trying– so he lets himself look a little bit like a buffoon.
Spotlight: 18:25
Well, I do want to cut you off just a moment, Mr. Doctorow, if I may. With around five more minutes, I do want to, of course, ask you to bring the topic of Gaza, which is a very important part, specifically in today’s topic of Trump’s controversial moves. Mr. Steppling, I mean, let’s discuss his displacement plan of Gaza. First of all, I mean, why should the Palestinians be forced out of their motherland? Is this how Trump wants to actually bring peace and calm the world as he has previously vowed?
Steppling: 18:52
The US and Israel exist, they’re joined at their core, they are one entity. Nasrullah used to say that all the time. The idea that Irael tells the United States what to do is nonsense; they are the same entity. This expansion– the Greater Israel idea, the land grab in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza itself and the West Bank, this expansion which has been on the books for 30 years– it’s nothing new. It was the United States [that] decided, I think, time to implement that. They wanted Israel to expand as much as Israel wanted to expand. Does Trump really intend to round up the Palestinians and ship them to Siberia or somewhere? No, I don’t think so. It’s not possible.
19:49
And he may be unclear about the magnitude of a project like that. But he’s not out of line with US foreign policy regarding Israel. And half the elected officials in the Senate and … all national offices and appointments are … Zionists. Many have dual citizenship. It means they– you can’t– Israel’s not a real country. It’s a branch of the US. It’s like one of those 900 military bases. It’s just a really big base.
Spotlight: 20:31
Well, with that, I do want to cross over one more time to Mr. Doctorow with his opinion on the situation. I mean, Mr. Doctorow, as a party to the Gaza truce, why shouldn’t Washington simply tell Tel Aviv to abide by the agreement as it is signed with Hamas? I mean, Trump has instead opted for another deal. He’s opted to– this other deal is not needed, whereas the second phase for the first one has not even been implemented yet. What is your opinion on this?
Doctorow: 20:59
I think Trump very wisely doesn’t want to get personally engaged or committed in the nitty-gritty, in the fine points of negotiation. He has Mr. Witkoff to do that. But I think it’s, again it’s a mistake to draw hasty conclusions looking at how he has approached the Ukraine problem. I see that his major effort is to confuse and neutralize his opponents. Whether he does this by making sane or insane comments is irrelevant. The ideas of moving the Palestinian people to some third area where they’ll have beautiful homes. I don’t believe that for a minute. And I don’t think he does either.
But he just wants to stir the pot, keep people talking while he’s looking for real solutions. So I wouldn’t get too alarmed. I think there will be some real solutions and not a restart of the Gaza war. I don’t believe it’s going to happen.
Spotlight: 21:54
My last question with the last few minutes I would like you to please kindly, if you can briefly in around 30 seconds, answer the question both of you. First of all, Mr. Steppling: looking back, do you believe that Trump’s foreign policy decisions will have any lasting repercussions on America’s a global standing, and if so in what ways?
Steppling:
Well, Trump’s decisions are certainly going to have global consequences. There’s no question about that. The only only thing up for debate is whether they will be positive or negative. Disbanding NATO, getting out of NATO, is an absolute plus and is a brilliant idea. And I hope he actually does it. What he does with Israel is a lot more problematic, and he has to be very careful. There’s certain toes he can’t step on, and I agree to the extent that I think he trolls people all the time. And you know he was mentored by Roy Cohn. He’s not an idiot; he knows what he’s doing in terms of how he presents to the public. But US foreign policy is what it is; the defense industry is what it is; the Joint Chiefs and Pentagon are what they are. US foreign policy is imperialist, and it has never changed. So he had to tread carefully.
Spotlight: 23:16
And Mr. Doctorow, please, if you could, in around 20 seconds, please, your answer to that question.
Doctorow:
In Europe, among the leadership, the present leadership, Trump will be reviled. But my point is the present leadership is not going to stay in power for more than a few months. And going against Trump as they’ve done, they’re inviting what’s going to happen tonight: withdrawal from NATO. They are bringing about the destruction of European security, and they will be driven out of office for this violation of European interests. In the rest of the world, in the global South, [they] will love this policy [of] Trump, and he will be admired. And maybe he gets his Nobel Peace Prize.
Spotlight: 23:59
I’d like to thank both of you gentlemen, for joining us in this episode of Spotlight. Mr. John Steppling, author and commentator from Inderoy, Norway; and Mr. Gilbert Doctorow, independent international affairs analyst from Brussels, Belgium. A pleasure to have you both.
24:12
Viewers, thank you very much for watching this episode of Spotlight. Goodbye.
Gilbert Doctorow 