In The Art of War, Sun Tzu establishes that discipline, coordination, and
clarity of direction are the bedrock of any effective force. This is why
military parades have carried such weight throughout history. A parade is not
merely a display of hardware; it is a manifestation of a nation’s mentality,
organization, and attention to detail.
I wonder if this was the realization that struck Donald Trump as he stood
beside Xi Jinping in Beijing. What Trump witnessed was a display of absolute
precision and controlled confidence: a system that takes the art of
organization seriously. The contrast with America’s own military displays in
recent times was noted by many. The U.S. presentation appeared less coordinated
and, at times, visibly disorganized by comparison.
The Symbolism of the Square
While a polished parade does not guarantee military superiority, history
is full of “pretty” armies that failed in the field. Nevertheless, the parade
ground serves as a mirror for society. A nation that masters detail,
infrastructure, and long-term planning in ceremony often reflects those same
qualities in its governance.
This is where the contrast between the two superpowers becomes difficult
to ignore:
• China’s Internal Focus: For decades, Beijing directed its energy
inward, obsessively building high-speed railways, ports, manufacturing hubs,
and educational systems.
• America’s External Exhaustion: Meanwhile, the United States spent trillions
of dollars and enormous national energy on foreign interventions, while parts
of its own domestic foundation continued to deteriorate.
The Deviation from "America
First"
The irony is that Donald Trump’s political rise was fueled by his
understanding of this internal decay. Millions of Americans supported him
because he promised to stop wasting resources on foreign interests and start
rebuilding the American heartland. He questioned why the U.S. was trying to fix
the world while its own healthcare costs soared, housing became increasingly
unaffordable, and infrastructure aged into obsolescence.
That instinct was correct. Had Trump remained focused on that original
vision, prioritizing national cohesion, industrial strength, healthcare
affordability, and domestic renewal, his legacy might have been that of the
president who finally returned America’s focus to its own people.
Instead, he appeared to drift away from this path. Despite his “America
First” rhetoric, his administration became increasingly entangled in the
geopolitical demands surrounding Israel and the Middle East. Under heavy
pressure and influence from Benjamin Netanyahu, the focus shifted away from
rebuilding America internally toward confrontation with Iran. To many
observers, this appeared to compromise the original mission: instead of putting
America first, the administration seemed increasingly drawn into prioritizing
the strategic concerns of Israel and the broader regional conflict.
The Cost of Distraction
The image of Trump standing beside Xi remains a powerful psychological
snapshot. At that moment, he saw the results of a nation that refused to be
constantly distracted by external conflicts. China did not spend the last
thirty years bogged down in multiple foreign wars. Instead, it focused heavily
on expanding infrastructure, industry, trade, technology, and initiatives such
as the Belt and Road Initiative.
To truly “Make America Great Again,” the mandate must be absolute:
America first.
• No more geopolitical exhaustion driven by external conflicts.
• No more prioritizing foreign regional agendas over American domestic
stability.
• No more allowing external pressures to consume American money, attention, and
political will.
If Trump is to fulfill his original promise, he must return to the
struggles of ordinary Americans: jobs, housing, healthcare affordability,
infrastructure, education, and social stability. Rebuilding a nation requires
the same discipline and long-term planning demonstrated in Beijing, applied not
to foreign wars, but to American soil.
How I wish Donald Trump experienced such a moment of
epiphany. That he would return to America determined to spend the remainder of
his presidency focusing his energy on making America great again, not helping
build a Greater Israel. That he would put America and Americans first, not
Israel and Zionist interests first.
Peace,
anas zubedy
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