Foreign affairs probably won't play a significant role in the 2020 election because of pressing domestic concerns, but the long-term results of Donald Trump's failed leadership in international relations will haunt America long after he has left office. America's standing in the world is already as low as its been for a generation and our allies widely view Trump as a dangerous nationalist buffoon. And, as we noted last week, America's top intelligence and military leaders ar

This week, in a direct challenge to the Trump administration, Iran and N. Korea tested missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Both nations want sanctions relief and are slowly ratcheting up pressure on Washington to respond. Moreover, both nations feel that they are gaining the upper hand in their high-profile face-offs with Washington. Business Insider: "North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles, one flying 267 miles and another 428 miles. Seoul assessed the we

Kim Jong Un warned President Trump yesterday that he expected the United States to become more "flexible" in negotiations concerning North Korea's nuclear weapons program and international sanctions on his regime. Reuters: “We will wait for a bold decision from the U.S. with patience till the end of this year but I think it will definitely be difficult to get such a good opportunity as the previous summit,” Kim added." Kim didn't say what actions he might take if Trump didn't

President Trump's current negotiating strategy with North Korea consists of fawning over its leader Kim Jong-un and promising that if Kim gives up his nukes, his impoverished nation can look forward to a rosy economic future. Kim knows BS when he hears it but is willing to play along because he realizes that Trump is far too invested in their special friendship and needs a foreign policy success. And, if the US President is willing to elevate his status as a world leader, en

President Trump's negotiations with Kim Jong-un collapsed after the two leaders failed to agree on any steps toward nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula. Trump blamed the failure on N. Korea's desire for immediate sanctions relief saying, “They wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn’t do that ..." New York Times: "Mr. Trump said that Mr. Kim had agreed to take an important step toward dismantling a central part of his nuclear program — the Yongbyon

President Trump's top intelligence officials contradicted the basic underlying assumptions of his foreign policy today in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. While Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, did echo many of Trump's warnings about China, he drew a starkly different picture than the President on N. Korea, Iran and ISIS, ABC News: "America's top intelligence officials on Tuesday appeared to challenge some of President Donald Trump's most prominent