Syria Tests Trump’s Attempt to Reset U.S. Policy
The president wants to prioritize the threat from great powers without losing focus on counterterrorism.
A Turkish-backed fighter in Syria.
Photographer: BAKR ALKASEM/AFPIt’s difficult to find a coherent foreign policy in President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed and rally speeches. One day he is threatening North Korea’s tyrant with annihilation, the next day he is sending him love letters; in one tweet he is promoting a “cybersecurity unit” with Russia, a few tweets later he is saying it can’t happen. It can all be a bit confusing.
Beneath the cacophony, though, his administration is actually attempting nothing less than a reordering of American foreign policy. Instead of focusing on counterterrorism, and denying jihadi groups a safe haven in weak or failing states, the U.S. wants to prioritize the threat from state actors such as China and Russia.