It’s hard to know what kind of foreign policy Americans want today. The evidence is mixed. On the other hand, what they don’t want is growing clearer every day—Donald Trump’s brand of self-dealing, morally vacant diplomacy.
That Trump views U.S. foreign policy as a vehicle for advancing his political and business interests is evident from the shocking Ukraine revelations and his brazen bid to award a lucrative contract for a G-7 summit to one of his floundering golf clubs. Meanwhile, his Syrian bugout has sparked a rare display of bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill, and most Americans believe it’s damaged our global reputation as a reliable ally.
Even the administration’s successful strike on ISIS leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi underscores Trump’s strategic cluelessness. That attack had to be launched from Iraq, thanks to his decision to leave only enough U.S. troops in Syria to guard oil wells—a dubious mission in the face of warnings that Syria remains “the world’s largest terrorist haven.”