UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which U.S. experts say is indicative of a zero-sum worldview to the detriment of the world stability and prosperity.
Trump touted his America First foreign policy and defended actions under this belief.
While highlighting his commitment to "putting sovereignty above global governance," he attacked globalism, and lashed out at several international organizations and treaties, such as UN Human Rights Council, International Criminal Court and the Iran nuclear deal, all of which his administration has announced to exit or to sanction against.
Kyle Ferrier, an analyst for the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "Trump's speech attempted to reframe his 'America First' foreign policy into something that would be more universally understandable: patriotism."
"Dressing up his foreign policy, however, is not going to allay widespread concerns about U.S. withdrawal from global governance," Ferrier said.
"Trump's foreign policy is a mixture of anti-globalism and traditional conservativism, which don't often align," the expert said.
Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua that "in his speech, President Trump drew on his own belief in American sovereignty, as well as the advice being given to him by advisors like John Bolton and Stephen Miller."
"In this framework, international institutions present a threat to American sovereignty, especially at a time when issues like immigration, trade, and the role of frameworks such as alliances and multilateral institutions limit American freedom of action," he said.
"While they espouse a belief in the sovereignty of nations, they also acknowledge that there are instances where another nation's reliance on the United States for military protection or economic ties presents an opportunity for the United States to have legitimate grievances about those policies that they pursue that are counter to U.S. interests," he added.
"It does shift significantly away from the benefits that the United States has achieved in its partnerships and alliances with other countries as it better reflects President Trump's zero-sum worldview," he noted.
Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, said that "since his first flirtations with running for office, Trump has seen the United States as getting the short end of the stick when it comes to relations with other countries, particularly in the realms of trade deals and multilateral agreements."
"Trump appears to view relations with other countries in zero-sum, bilateral terms - there should be two parties to agreements, and the United States should get the better of the other country in the deal," he said. "Similarly, he dislikes groups like NATO because he sees them as somehow taking advantage of the United States."
However, Douglas Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that Trump's speech "is a campaign statement for the mid-terms, making incredible claims for success."
