For subscribers
Decoding Trump’s ‘peace through strength’
The real story behind this snappy slogan is that the US government is divided about defence policy.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Trump government seemingly suggests US policy will now look different because deterrence has become the guiding principle.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Follow topic:
The second Trump administration has reprised the phrase “peace through strength” as the bumper-sticker summary of its international security policy.
The phrase well predates the Trump administration. The ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian used it. “Peace through strength” was the motto of the US Eighth Air Force during World War II and the title of a book about US plans for post-war Europe. Every platform of the US Republican Party since 1980 includes the phrase, although Ronald Reagan is perhaps most famous for it. President Donald Trump himself used this phrase during his first term.
