Waiting for the real Donald Trump to occupy the White House

AS Donald J Trump prepares to be sworn-in as the 45th President of the United State, policy wonks are trying to resolve a puzzle: Who is President-elect Trump? What makes him tick? How will he govern his country and engage the rest of the world?

There is nothing new about efforts to deconstruct the character and the worldview of an incoming president. Policymakers and pundits have been doing that in the aftermath of every American presidential election.

But this time, it may be different. Almost all presidents were elected to office after operating several years in the public arena. They were either politicians who had served in Congress or as state governors. Hence, even before they entered the White House, it was possible to access information on who the president-elect was and in what direction he was planning to move the nation.