Don’t treat war like a reality TV show

WE knew Donald Trump was a maverick. But his North Korean adventure is pushing recklessness into the realms of insanity. And if Boris Johnson persists in riding shotgun on his wagon, he risks leading Britain into the madhouse too.

This paper has already expressed profound disquiet over the President’s revenge strike on al- Shayrat military airfield. But at least there was a reason for that intervention, with forces loyal to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies accused of launching a gas attack on civilians.

He can claim no such justification for cranking up global tensions further, by sending warships to North Korea.

With terrifying implications for peace, he has also infuriated the Chinese, warning in a grossly undiplomatic tweet that if they don’t ‘solve the problem’ of Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship, America will go it alone – and punish Beijing with reprisals over trade.

With his action in Syria, Mr Trump incurred the wrath of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Now he appears determined to involve Kim and the Chinese leadership in his high-stakes game of chicken.

It’s as if he is saying: ‘Other world leaders may be unpredictable. But watch out! I’m as crazy as any of them.’

Indeed, shouldn’t Britain be deeply wary of cosying up to him?

In Italy, Mr Johnson was isolated when his fellow G7 foreign ministers withheld support for his hastily proposed sanctions against Russian and Syrian leaders.

Wisely, they insisted any sanctions must wait for firm evidence Assad had used sarin. After all, the facts are not always as they seem amid the black propaganda put out by both sides in this hellish war.

The last thing America’s allies should do is encourage this president (who needs so little encouragement) to act recklessly. Instead, they should unite in urging him to think hard before he acts – or tweets.

Mr Trump must learn geopolitics is not a TV reality show. The stakes in this game can be measured in countless lives.