Chaos and US Standing: Times of India

Donald Trump blasted policies of his predecessors as foolish. Yet the president fuels uncertainty by abruptly changing longstanding policies and obsessing on quick fixes, ranging from support for a coal industry and rejection of climate change as a threat to blaming illegal immigration for crime and supporting a border wall. The president carried through on a threat to shut down the US federal government if he did not get $5 billion in funds for a border wall. Lawmakers have developed another deal and wait to see if the president will go along with the compromise or shut down the government a second time. Trump takes a similar strategy with foreign policy. Trump met with North Korea’s dictator, praising him without securing specific steps on denuclearization. Trump surprised top US military officials by announcing troop drawdowns in Syria and Afghanistan. US and Chinese negotiators try to iron out a deal to avoid another round of tariffs and economic pain for both nations. “[E]rratic foreign policy moves that consistently help Russia, his boasts and lies and his desperate bid to build a wall, seem to be driven by two principal worries,” concludes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal, in an essay for the Times of India, “first, his fear of losing support … second, anxiety about upsetting Putin.” – YaleGlobal