In this penetrating and alarming editorial, the UK’s Observer argues that a directionless, foolish president has unlocked the weapons store. The bottom-line warning is that we are all in great peril.
Source: The Observer view on Donald Trump’s foreign policy | Observer editorial | Opinion | The Guardian
The Observer looks at the evidence, links the dots and concludes that Trump’s foreign policy has no strategy. Others have commented that it’s knee-jerk and designed to gain political traction by distancing him from Obama’s weak and indecisive record in foreign policy. The Observer article is par for the course from the world’s more liberal media.
However, conservative commentators are more flattering to Trump. For sure, the Observer article is biased in that it fails to articulate the global context and the evils of the regime in both Syria and North Korea.
After Obama’s disastrous eight years of foreign policy decisions, surely it’s fair to give Trump a chance?
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 
Trump acted precipitously in Syria with his missile strike on Syria when he had no proper evidence that the gas attack had been perpetrated by Assad and when quite a few sources and an analysis of who benefits suggest that it might have been Saudi Arabia and Jordan whilst others suggest a Russian airstrike on a rebel position released Sarin from a rebel held weapons stockpile that should not have been there in the first place.
Dr Alf is right to say that Obama’s Presidency was a disaster and that Donald Trump’s legacy has yet to emerge as it is too soon.
The Thermobaric weapon dropped on the ISIS cave complex in Afghanistan is the right way to deal with ISIS but should have been used on a much bigger scale when ISIS were known to have been in single locations in Libya and Iraq where we could have destroyed them in much greater numbers and saved risking our troops.
As for Trump’s advisors on military matters they include General Votel and General Mattis who are fairly hard line but probably right about North Korea which does need to be contained,ideally by the overthrow of Kim Jong Un,ideally by his own people and/or China prodded into action by the prospect of a robust military response by Trump’s strike group off the coast.
Trumps other advisors ,the ex Goldman Sachs people are questionable and I do not like the idea of any President having his daughter and son in law working for him in that office because to do so smacks of dynastic succession and the sorts of things we associate with Roman Emperors and medieval kings rather than a modern republic.
The Observer is not being nuanced enough and is being alarmist rather than actually “observing” and then reporting on what is happening.
North Korea has been a troublesome international pariah for some time which at the very least needed to be contained but now seeks to break loose with nuclear tipped ICBM’s.
Forcing the issue is going to be dangerous but doing nothing now poses a greater danger based on the balance of known risks.
That means that Kim Jong Un and possibly some of his generals have to be eliminated and replaced so that the entire Peninsula can once again be a pro Western democracy.
If this can be achieved without too much bloodshed it will be a very good thing so we will have to see what happens before rushing to quick judgements about Donald Trump.
I think it’s fair to say that not everyone would agree that Obama’s 8 years of foreign policy were disastrous. As to whether it’s fair to give rump a chance………no way.
Most leaders have a team of advisers to guide them towards certain actions and against others. Trump has hardly appointed a suitable advisory body and being as kind as possible to them I’d say they lack experience. But that’s assuming Trump would listen. He’s making a concerted effort to antagonise half the world’s leaders forgetting that some also have a key to their own toybox and a juvenile lack of self control. His current stance with North Korea cold easily escalate making them react with atomic bombs. Should that be the case then maybe others of the world powers might decide it’s a good time to declare war on the West.
Talking of the toybox brings me to Syria. Whether the Syrian President or the rebels set off the Sarin
(or other) gas is still questionable in my eyes. But also, for me the jury is still out on whether the whole thing was staged with a huge payload of expensive bombs used on an airfield to such little effect. Trump is looking to boost his image since his Presidency is proving so disastrous and his popularity is so low. It wouldn’t surprise me to find collusion between him and Russia merely to prove he’s strong against Putin’s might.I doubt either man would wince at creating the loss of life the gas caused. Trump feels confident enough to start his jockeying for a second term of office this early so he must be playing for popularity and image this early.
Hugs