Trump Faces Twin Foreign Policy Crises And Nowhere To Turn

Regular Member Posts : 7317 Join date : 2014-07-29

Trump rattled as he suddenly faces twin foreign policy crises and has nowhere to turn for help

Two separate crises roiled President Donald Trump on the first day of the year of his re-election campaign.

The U.S embassy in Baghdad is recovering from an assault that grew out of a pro-Iran protest.
That strike came in response to an attack on an Iraqi base that killed an American contractor, according to the U.S.

And now, the Pentagon has announced it is sending 750 troops to Iraq in response to the embassy assault, and thousands more a reportedly preparing to be deployed.
It is, apparently, a classic case of escalating tension, and it’s not clear where it will lead.

At the same time, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has uncorked a new round of aggressive rhetoric of his own. Kim has said he is ready to take “shocking actual action.” He has promised the release of a “new strategic weapon” in response to unproductive talks with the United States, undermining Trump’s claims that the nuclear threat from North Korea has been eliminated.
Trump’s attempts at diplomacy with the rogue nation have amounted to very little and have done nothing to alter Kim’s strategic interests.

Likewise in Iran, Trump’s failure is also on display. He tore up the Iran deal President Barack Obama had established with no good justification,
insisting that being tough on the country could induce it to accept even more punishing terms.

The international community largely rejected Trump’s abandonment of the deal, leaving the United States isolated on the issue.
And Trump seems no closer to a new deal with the country than he ever was.

Now we find ourselves in yet another series of escalating punches and counter-punches with Iran, and the body count is rising.
The ratcheting up of violence and provocation on both sides could lead Trump on the path to war even if he genuinely wants to avoid it.

Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, observed:

Richard N. Haass

@RichardHaass
So after 3 years of no international crises, @realDonaldTrump is facing one w Iran b/c he has rejected diplomacy & another w N Korea b/c he has asked too much of diplomacy. He will face both w little allied backing, less interagency process, & amidst impeachment. Happy New Year.

But another point in Haass’s tweet is worth paying attention to. He noted that, in Trump’s North Korea and Iran foreign policy,
he largely alienated American allies and the interagency staffers who typically shape U.S. diplomacy.

As is readily apparent, going his own way hasn’t proved to be a successful method.
But it also means it will be much harder to turn to these partners and tested strategies for diplomatic help now because he cut them out at the beginning.

Trump has also dramatically undercut his own credibility by prematurely declaring victory in both North Korea and Iran.

“A very predictable consequence of the lack of Trump’s showmanship in place of any policy or strategy on North Korea,” noted Rosenberger of Kim’s aggressive talk. “Buckle up.”
“The timing of these new challenges is critical,”

The twin crises, of course, are arising when Trump is uniquely vulnerable.

Posts : 429 Join date : 2018-12-29

Quit cheering for the gotdam norks and the mangy Bedouins.

Regular Member Posts : 7317 Join date : 2014-07-29

Many details remain unknown about the killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, including whether the United States intentionally took him out as part of the strike.

What is clear, though, is that President Donald Trump has had only a very little understanding of what’s going on in the region — and when he was a candidate, as he demonstrated during an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, he didn’t even know who Soleimani was:

Soleimani commander of Iran’s IRGC Quds force deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces is one of the most revered figures in Iran after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani,
and although he was a staunch foe against the United States, previous presidents always declined opportunities to target him due to fear over the escalation it could trigger.

Temple wrote:: Many details remain unknown about the killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, including whether the United States intentionally took him out as part of the strike.

What is clear, though, is that President Donald Trump has had only a very little understanding of what’s going on in the region

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Trump orders attack that kills Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, other military officials in Baghdad, Pentagon says

https://www.foxnews.com/world/rockets-baghdad-airport-injuries-reported

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