Trump’s Syria shift confounds foreign policy experts

With his first major military action, President Donald Trump has, once again, confounded experts struggling to interpret his approach to the world.

Until now he has refused to show his hand about plans for tackling adversaries such as North Korea, in an effort to keep them off balance. While some saw this reluctance as a sign that he was more bluster than substance, the 59 missiles fired at Syria in the early hours of Friday morning signalled to the world that he is ready to act when his red lines are crossed.

During the presidential campaign, Mr Trump pledged to pursue an “America First” foreign policy that would be less interventionist than George W Bush’s. He also hinted that he would be more willing than Barack Obama to countenance strongmen, such as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and President Vladimir Putin in Russia, if it was in the US interest.

Read the full article at The Financial Times.