Why its so hard to make sense of Trumps foreign policy.

[bronxiteforever]

The Conversation UK
February 20, 2018

...Trump’s profound impulsiveness can unsettle any plan, especially given his widely reported lack of knowledge. And those who do know what they’re doing are jumping ship: Tillerson has overseen a dramatic depletion of expertise at the State Department, with 12% of foreign service officers departing in just eight months.

And just as Trump’s agencies try to contain him, other countries try to contain the US by sidelining it. Russia has seized the initiative in Syria; Iran wants it in Iraq; Saudi Arabia pursues it from Yemen to Lebanon; Turkey warns that it may walk away from the Americans altogether, and China increasingly calls the shots in East Asia, from the North Korean problem to the South China Sea and economic development. Even European partners are thinking twice about their reliance on what no longer looks like a dependable superpower.

Meanwhile, US-based analysts scramble to find a framework that can express what’s going on while still conveying some sense of American primacy. “Soft power”, which under Obama became “smart power”, is now proclaimed as “sharp power”. And all the while, US power – if measured in the respect for America at the centre of global affairs – plummets in the opinion polling of peoples across the planet.

https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-make-sense-of-trumps-foreign-policy-91446

This is a must read for it’s comprehensive review of the disastrous foreign policy of Trump. The GOP has stood on the sidelines while Trump and Tillerson destroyed the State Department. Any illusion that the GOP is competent in foreign affairs has been completely extinguished. For tax cuts, they sold our country out to the Russian puppet. It will take enormous effort to rebuild our foreign policy after the orange one leaves.

[Eyeball_Kid]

1. Trumpy is Putin's doormat. How's that for foreign policy?

IMO, the foreign policy dilemma can be reduced to those four words. "Trumpy is Putin's doormat." All of his decisions, or non-decisions, can be seen through that filter.

[bronxiteforever]

2. Agree. Aint no doubt about Putin now.

[Ezior]

3. As a European, I could suffer through 4 years of Trump...

and shrug it off as a one-time US voters failure…

IF his approval was at something like 10%-20%. It is not. So I'm worried. With 40% approval, there's no guarantee the GOP won't find a candidate that is even worse in 6 or 10 years and have the Russians as well as the alt-right manipulate social media to ensure a win.

Right now, the US is not a reliable partner. The sad truth is that there is no reliable partner for Europe. Russia and China are even worse. I mean, sure, they are reliable. But reliably worse when it comes to values like freedom, democracy or human rights. And Europe on its own is sadly not mature enough at this time to stand on its own feet.

I fear there's a very rough road ahead. I'm counting on the blue 2018 wave and maybe Mueller to wake up some of the Fox News population. The world needs it.

[kentuck]

4. His great foreign policy successes?

<snip>
"And just as Trump’s agencies try to contain him, other countries try to contain the US by sidelining it. Russia has seized the initiative in Syria; Iran wants it in Iraq; Saudi Arabia pursues it from Yemen to Lebanon; Turkey warns that it may walk away from the Americans altogether, and China increasingly calls the shots in East Asia, from the North Korean problem to the South China Sea and economic development. Even European partners are thinking twice about their reliance on what no longer looks like a dependable superpower."

[bronxiteforever]

5. [phone]