Trump on Syria and China: Pragmatic or just fickle?

His about-turns on foreign policy and trade demonstrate that he is a leader who is willing to change his views and adjust his policies in response to changing circumstances. Doesn't it?

Published Thu, Apr 13, 2017 · 09:50 PM

Washington

ESTABLISHED in 1940 by prominent American public figures, the America First Committee (AFC) was an organisation that tried to mobilise the public against US entry into World War II. Committed to so-called isolationist principles, the AFC included several individuals, such as legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh, who sympathised with Nazi Germany and were associated with anti-Semitic causes.

So it wasn't surprising that when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he embraced an "America First" foreign policy agenda, based on the notion that the US needed first and foremost to protect its national interests and not be drawn into costly wars in the Middle East, his critics, led by liberal internationalists and neoconservatives, accused the billionaire-turned-politician of adopting an isolationist approach to world affairs. Some of them even suggested that by using the term "America First", Mr Trump was projecting anti-Semitic sentiment.

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