Just days after he won a return to the White House, the outlines of Donald Trump’s foreign policy are becoming clear: squeeze Iran, support Israel, confront China.
The expected appointment of Marco Rubio as secretary of state and the naming of combat veteran Mike Waltz to the post of national security adviser and Elise Stefanik as US ambassador to the United Nations leave little room for doubt.
All three, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, are sharp critics of Xi Jinping’s government in China — Rubio has been sanctioned twice by Beijing — with Waltz calling it the top threat to the US. Trump has vowed to impose tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods that could decimate trade between the world’s two biggest economies.
Trump is likely to pressure Israel to wrap up its campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But don’t expect him to echo the criticism of the Joe Biden administration when it comes to the civilian death toll.
Trump has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do what you have to do” when it comes to Iran and its militant proxy groups. But support for a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has probably waned among Gulf states that are trying to improve relations with Tehran.
Trump’s White House is almost certain to try to expand the Abraham Accords reached during his first administration that normalized ties between Israel and several Arab countries. Yet Saudi Arabia has suggested that for it to join them, there must be significant movement toward a Palestinian state.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, yesterday called the war in Gaza “genocide.”
So expect the new administration to seek quick ends to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine — Rubio supports negotiations that could result in Kyiv ceding occupied territory to the Russian invaders.
The ultimate goal is to zero in on enemy number 1: China. — Karl Maier