I've tried to keep an open mind about how Trump's unorthodox foreign policy strategies might produce tangible security and economic results for the benefit of the American people. Just days before voting ends, its time assess results. THREAD 1/
At times, I gave Trump the benefit of the doubt. I praised his bombing of Syria. I kept an open mind about engagement with North Korea. I applauded parts of the Trump administration diagnosis of the China threat. Some Trump critics chided me for doing so. 2/
But aspiration is not achievement. We must judge leaders by their results. On almost every major foreign policy issue, Trump did not deliver on what he promised. 3/
Trump failed to denuclearize North Korea. 4/
Trump failed to coerce Iran into signing a better nuclear deal. If the goal actually was regime change, Trump failed to achieve that as well. 5/
After 4 years of courting Putin, Trump did not do one single deal with Russia. Not one. He even failed to extend the New START Treaty. 6/
On China, Trump signed a minor trade deal (Phase I), and failed completely on even starting, let alone concluding, the bigger trade deal (Phase II). 7/
And then there are a whole list of foreign policy objectives in the US interest that Trump didn't even try to advance. See the full list here. "Trump’s foreign policy report card is full of failing grades" 8/ END THREAD https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/23/trumps-foreign-policy-report-card-is-full-failing-grades/?tid=ss_tw