Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy

Donald Trump Is Defining Successful Foreign Policy Down

| Aug. 08, 2017

The White House’s North Korea latest sanctions are benefiting from the soft bigotry of low expectations.

The Donald Trump administration (and its supporters) is giving itself a high-five over the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2371, which imposes harsh new economic sanctions on North Korea. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., called it a "new day" at the world body, and her office issued a statement saying the measure might cut off as much as one-third of North Korea's $3 billion annual export revenue. The hope, of course, is that this pressure will prompt Pyongyang to rethink its efforts to expand and refine its long-range missile capabilities. Even reliable Trump critics like former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and Fletcher School professor Daniel Drezner have praised the resolution, calling it a major diplomatic achievement.

I don't want to be a killjoy, but permit me to register a modest dissent....

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Walt, Stephen M.“Donald Trump Is Defining Successful Foreign Policy Down.” Foreign Policy, August 8, 2017.

The Author

Stephen Walt