The New Battle Over Donald Trump's Foreign PolicyNational security advisor John Bolton is increasingly isolated, but the president can ill afford to bleed allies. Rand Paul wants to see through the president’s prerogatives.by Curt Mills
January 18, 2019As 2019 gets underway, allies and confidantes of President Donald Trump continue to swim in the choppy waters around the West Wing, each seeking time with the principal in order to pursue their own private agendas.
The president’s policy prerogatives are clear, and often, formally announced: a pullout in Syria, a drawdown in Afghanistan, and possibly, a reevaluation of the American commitment to NATO.
But if only it were so simple. The president is short on public allies to back him on a considered, level-headed policy course that—and this is key—flouts the authority of an up-in-arms establishment.
Central to the drama is Sen. Rand Paul, the president’s one-time primary opponent.
“We’ve won the war in Afghanistan! We need to learn how to declare victory and come home. We shouldn’t be there nation building. [Trump] gets this, but so many in Washington are lost and confused!†Paul said Thursday.
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https://nationalinterest.org/feature/new-battle-over-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-41962
