Trump Announces US Exit from UN Climate Body, Not Military Aid to Israel
The irony is thick enough to cut with a dull butter knife: Trump, the self-proclaimed America First champion, is ready to dismantle global cooperation on climate and women's rights (per the article). Yet, when one reviews the proposed purge list, any organizations facilitating the $3.3 billion in annual, unconditional military aid the US provides to Israel are somehow sacrosanct. This isn't about
'America First'; it’s about a selective isolationism that carefully protects entrenched foreign policy commitments, irrespective of domestic needs or planetary health. One might wonder why slashing programs on global health or environment is easier than questioning a single dollar of the $14 billion in supplemental aid just approved for Israel in HR 815, passed with overwhelming bipartisan
support. Perhaps the financial 'persuasion' from groups like AIPAC, which spent a record $24.7 million in 2022 to influence US elections (OpenSecrets.org), makes certain international commitments untouchable, even for the most isolationist presidents.