Global Affairs

Trump's global Art of the Deal

Whether it involves Iran or North Korea or trade issues, Trump has upended US foreign policy. It's not without risks, but it would be wrong to simply write off all his decisions as disasters in the making.

ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
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US President Bill Clinton was served by a total of only two secretaries of state during his entire eight years in the White House. Mr George W. Bush, who succeeded him, also had only two secretaries of state during his eight-year stint as America's chief executive. And so did Mr Barack Obama. But President Donald Trump has already had two secretaries of state within his first year in the Oval Office.

To many, this basic fact alone is frequently offered as proof of Mr Trump's chaotic conduct of foreign policy, and his fickle disregard for people, established procedures and normal diplomatic norms.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 14, 2018, with the headline Trump's global Art of the Deal. Subscribe