In classic form, President Trump concluded his hollow trade deal with Xi Jinping Thursday—and then changed the subject and the headlines. With no clear plan or rationale, he announced that the U.S. could resume nuclear testing.
foreign policy
Posted inAmerica and the World
Trump’s Feeble Made-for-TV Diplomacy
President Trump left town last weekend for a six-day Asia trip, partly to change the subject and partly to score some cheap symbolic victories. As always, his goal was short-run successes, with foreign leaders fawning in his presence.
Posted inTAP
Monroe Doctrine II, Trump Style
President Trump, with the help of his Treasury secretary, just pulled off a rescue that few thought possible, promising $40 billion to Argentina. What’s notable is not the novelty of Trump’s inter-American imperialism but the broad continuity with past U.S. policies.
Posted inAmerica and the World
The Pirate Lord Donald Trump
President Trump is violating norms and laws that stretch back to before the founding of this country.
Posted inAmerica and the World
Why Can’t a Trump Deal End the War in Ukraine?
It’s not a situation amenable to Trump’s traditional approach of clumsy, heavy-handed pressure.
Posted inTAP
Trump’s Peace Plan and Real Estate Deal
Even if a deal is struck, there are multiple ways for things to go off the rails before it becomes a durable settlement.
Posted inAmerica and the World
Secret Sharers: Jews, Muslims, and this Long, Cruel War
Jews and Muslims are victims of victims, an endless death cycle that grips Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Posted inTAP
Why the Gaza Peace Plan Is Basically a War Plan
Today on TAP: The Trump-Bibi plan continues to let Israel run amok unless Hamas signs on.
Posted inBooks
Why the Israel-Palestine Conflict Remains Unresolved
Two former negotiators on opposite sides write that neither side has ever acknowledged the other side’s existential needs.
Posted inTAP
Bessent’s Bizarre Bailout
Today on TAP: Argentina will get U.S. help despite its perverse economic policies, only because fellow economic pervert Trump and Argentina’s Milei are soulmates. It won’t work.