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Donald Trump Stumbles Into a Foreign-Policy Triumph
The Atlantic ^ | JANUARY 17, 2020 | TOM MCTAGUE

Posted on 01/17/2020 12:58:01 PM PST by edwinland

A year and a half into Donald Trump’s presidency, Henry Kissinger set out a theory. “I think Trump may be one of those figures in history who appears from time to time to mark the end of an era and to force it to give up its old pretences,” he told the Financial Times. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that he knows this, or that he is considering any great alternative. It could just be an accident.” A term has been coined to describe this notion: Ryan Evans of War on the Rocks calls them “Trumportunities.” It is the idea that, whether by accident or design, Trump creates chances to solve long-running international problems that a conventional leader would not. His bellicose isolationist agenda, for instance, might already be forcing Europe to confront its geopolitical weakness; China, its need for a lasting economic settlement with the U.S.; and countries throughout the Middle East, the limits of their power. The president’s erratic behavior might be doing something else as well, something even more fundamental. Through a combination of instinct, temperament, and capriciousness, Trump may be reminding the world of the reality of international relations: Raw military and economic power still matter more than anything else—so long as those who hold them are prepared to use them.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Egypt; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Israel; Japan; News/Current Events; Russia; Syria; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2020election; 2ndamendment; abortion; angelamerkel; banglist; boycotts; buildthefence; canada; china; daca; djibouti; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; dreamact; dreamers; egypt; election2020; eritrea; europeanunion; gaza; genderdysphoria; germany; globalwarminghoax; greennewdeal; hamas; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; homosexualagenda; incometaxes; infanticide; iran; iraq; isis; israel; japan; jerusalem; jordan; korea; lebanon; letshavejerusalem; maga; mediawingofthednc; medicareforall; mexico; mullahloversonfr; nafta; nato; nevertrump; nevertrumper; nevertrumpers; nevertrumpertrolls; newsstooge; nra; obamacare; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; putinsbuttboys; pyongyang; qasemsoleimani; qudsforce; republicofkorea; russia; ryanevans; sanctions; secondamendment; sinai; smearmachine; sudan; syria; tariffs; taxcutsandjobsact; taxreform; tcja; theatlantic; tommctague; trade; trumportunities; ukraine; usmca; waronterror; warontherocks; yemen
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Ignore the headline.

This is actually quite significant. we already knew the international foreign policy establishment would oppose, mock and attempt to undermine any Trump action that diverged from their [failed] approach.

But we should have also expected that if and when Trumps novel approach began to bear fruit, some in the establishment, in their honest moments, would (of course grudgingly) acknowledge his progress and perhpas begin to change their worldview.

This article is good evidence that this process has begun.

[Now, regarding the headline: it doesn't even match the tone of the article, and anyway, don't expect the "experts" to admit that Trump has a higher I.Q. than they do. Getting them to admit he is improving America's standing in the world is enough for me]

1 posted on 01/17/2020 12:58:01 PM PST by edwinland
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To: edwinland

Yes, President Trump stumbles into triumph after triumph every day.


2 posted on 01/17/2020 1:00:37 PM PST by Savage Beast (The curse of intelligence is having to watch the morons try everything you know won't work.)
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To: edwinland
I always believed that Foreign Policy was not much more than some really fancy horse trading.

I mean-Trump IS the dealmaker, if nothing else. No one is getting around him! No dealmaker wants to be, or lets himself be conned.

3 posted on 01/17/2020 1:03:05 PM PST by SMARTY ("Nobility is defined by the demands it makes on us - by obligations, not by rights".)
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To: Savage Beast
President Trump stumbles into triumph after triumph every day.

I know. It's truly uncanny how lucky he is.

4 posted on 01/17/2020 1:03:14 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (BLACK LIVES MAGA)
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To: edwinland

I firmly believe President Trump will be known as one of the top 3 Presidents in USA history and that this impeachment sham will be a badge of honor not shame because it exposed the vile corruption that is the democrat party and their minions in the MSM and cable news channels.


5 posted on 01/17/2020 1:04:10 PM PST by Boomer ('Democrat' is now synonymous with 'corrupt')
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To: Savage Beast

Yep. He stumbled onto a near 30,000 stock market, too. What a lucky guy Trump is. Ha ha.


6 posted on 01/17/2020 1:04:16 PM PST by lodi90
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To: edwinland

The “tone of the article” suggests that he only accomplishes anything through dumb luck.

I guess that’s better than nothing.


7 posted on 01/17/2020 1:05:05 PM PST by moonhawk (Excuse me...Did you just presume the gender of the Earth Deity?)
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To: Boomer

There can be no bigger rejection of the swamp and fake news than reelecting Trump after his fake impeachment.


8 posted on 01/17/2020 1:05:13 PM PST by lodi90
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To: SMARTY
I always believed that Foreign Policy was not much more than some really fancy horse trading.

In theory, perhaps. In reality, it's a matter of finding a plausible facade to cover the bribery, kickbacks, and other graft.

9 posted on 01/17/2020 1:05:17 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (BLACK LIVES MAGA)
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To: edwinland

China trade deal

USMCA

Market 1/3rd the way from 29,000 to 30,000 after only a few days.

Lowest unemployment in 50 years...

I guess Trump has been doing a lot of stumbling.

Too bad Obama didn’t know how to stumble. (LMAO)


10 posted on 01/17/2020 1:07:06 PM PST by DoughtyOne (The Leftistist media and particularly CNN NEWS should come with a ten day supply of Cipro.)
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To: edwinland

I think it’s really very simple. Trump understands human nature, and he’s reversed the tables on all these world leaders, who now fear him.

You don’t think Chi, and Putin, and NKOr guy and of course Iran, aren’t shaking a bit in their boots thinking what Trump would do to them, or could do to them.

OTOH, there’s a kind of stability Trump brings to things. In theory, if countries are not warring, they’ll spend less on military.

There may be a new world order that is fabricated by communication around the world by the young people.


11 posted on 01/17/2020 1:07:48 PM PST by nikos1121
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To: Boomer
I firmly believe President Trump will be known as one of the top 3 Presidents in USA history

I agree. I'm not sure whomever else you have in mind, but if Coolidge is not one of them, I would add him as one of four.

12 posted on 01/17/2020 1:09:42 PM PST by Salvey
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To: moonhawk

I won’t even click on The Atlantic.


13 posted on 01/17/2020 1:13:08 PM PST by rdl6989
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To: DoughtyOne

A new trade deal with Japan.


14 posted on 01/17/2020 1:16:16 PM PST by ican'tbelieveit
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To: edwinland
Donald Trump Stumbles Into a Foreign-Policy Triumph

...And President Trump stumbled into a stock market hitting all-time highs.

...And President Trump stumbled into the USMCA trade deal.

...And President Trump stumbled into the lowest African-American, Hispanic-American, and Asian-american unemployment rates ever recorded.

...And President Trump stumbled into a 49 year low in first time unemployment claims.

I like the way this President stumbles...

15 posted on 01/17/2020 1:17:05 PM PST by Yo-Yo ( is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: edwinland

Just like he ‘stumbled’ into the best economy in 50 years... lowest unemployment in history, etc etc...

Maybe we should keep him just because he is so damn lucky!


16 posted on 01/17/2020 1:17:33 PM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself.)
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To: edwinland
The real "trick" is that Trump doesn't care about optics, or the process. He just cares about getting results. So approaches those issues in commonsense but novel ways because he's not as concerned with how things "look" as are the foreign policy establishment and professional politicians.

Unlike most of his predecessors, he understands that we are almost always in the stronger bargaining position, so he actually uses that power in negotiations rather than acting embarrassed to throw that weight around.

17 posted on 01/17/2020 1:17:48 PM PST by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: Savage Beast

A successful negotiator knows his own strengths, weaknesses and points of leverage. He also knows those points about the person (or country) across the table. THAT is why he is “stumbling” into foreign policy wins . . . but “stumbling” into those triumphs is a grossly inaccurate assessment of the reasons for his success. It is NOT an accident he is being successful.


18 posted on 01/17/2020 1:20:03 PM PST by RatRipper
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To: edwinland

Speaking of headlines, Politico has this up as a headline:

SENATE PASSES USMCA IN MAJOR WIN FOR TRUMP

Then changed it an hour later to:

SENATE PASSES USMCA, BUT MUCH WORK REMAINS

Many “journalists” are just hacks.


19 posted on 01/17/2020 1:22:07 PM PST by vladimir998 ( Apparently I'm still living in your head rent free. At least now it isn't empty.)
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To: lodi90

Trump is like a good football running back: he always “stumbles” forward.


20 posted on 01/17/2020 1:31:54 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie (Please, oh pretty please let Crazy Uncle Joe Biden be the nominee.)
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