Crisis Averted (for Now)

Theodore Roosevelt described his foreign policy using the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick”. I guess the Trump foreign policy is “speak loudly waving the stick”.

The tariffs against Mexico would have gone into effect today. Fortunately, the two countries have reached an agreement. It is too soon to tell how long it will last.

I believe the two sides could have worked out their differences privately but that’s not President Trump’s style. He made it a public spectacle as he intimidated Mexico into submission. Clearly, he used a win-lose strategy. In reality, it was lose-lose. The rest of the world now sees that the United States as a bully that cannot be trusted.

This is another in a long list of occasions when he has put his ego before the needs of the country.
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