Josh Cohen: Steve Bannon’s Departure Could Harm U.S. Foreign Policy from Afghanistan to China

Reuter’s Josh Cohen writes that the departure of President Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon “could hurt U.S. foreign policy” because Bannon “added a much-needed voice favoring non-interventionism and the promotion of American economic interests.”

With Bannon gone from the White House, Cohen writes, “it’s more likely that Trump could steer Washington in the wrong direction in areas ranging from Afghanistan to China.”

From Reuters:

Bannon was on the correct side of the Afghanistan debate. Almost 16 years, thousands dead or injured – and over one trillion dollars after first sending American forces to the country, the war in Afghanistan remains stalemated and the militant Taliban now controls more territory than at any point since 2001. And if the U.S. couldn’t pacify Afghanistan with 100,000 troops in 2011, it’s not clear how it could do so with a fraction of this number now. Bannon’s departure may have made Trump more likely to listen to his generals and dive more deeply into the Afghanistan morass.

Bannon’s influence also has been visible on trade with China, pushing the U.S. to file a complaint under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. This would allow the U.S. to impose trade sanctions against China for engaging in unfair trade practices.

Bannon’s concern about Chinese trade practices is well founded. Chinese companies consistently hack and steal American companies’ intellectual property, using stolen information to manufacture products that compete against those from the U.S. The U.S. loses billions a year from intellectual property theft – most of which is caused by China. Moreover, Western business organizations – including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – complain that Chinese authorities are trying to force them out of China’s tech market by requiring they use only technology developed and controlled by Chinese companies. Washington also worries that U.S. technology companies – such as Advanced Micro Devices, Hewlett Packard and IBM – are being forced to turn over key intellectual property to China in exchange for market access.

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