Trump creates leverage

Amid the sound and fury of President Trump’s first month in office, the broad contours of a more transactional approach to foreign policy are emerging. As befits his business background, Trump seeks to create leverage in every situation.

For European defence ministers used to holding the weakest hand around their respective Cabinet tables, it has produced a welcome fillip. Trump’s questioning of the US commitment to Nato at a time of Russian revanchism should scare the European governments straight into meeting their 2 per cent of GDP spending target.

In contrast, Trump’s attempt at leverage with China by questioning the One China policy was quietly dropped after the Chinese made clear this was nonnegotiable. This climbdown being a precondition for the phone call from President Xi.

Absent a strategic framework, the tactical flexibility afforded by a transactional methodology can appear contradictory. Entertaining a one-state solution for Israel-Palestine was inevitably interpreted as green-lighting settlement expansion on the West Bank. Prime Minister Netanyahu was then blindsided at the recent press conference when Trump said, “I’d like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit.”

It seems unclear whether President Trump is operating to any strategic framework beyond economic nationalism. Peter Jansen, Henderson.