Joseph Gonzalez: Donald Trump is finally acting presidential

Joseph Gonzalez, journalnow.com

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Excerpt:

U.S. presidents have needed the House of Saud to restrain first Iraq and then Iran, pump oil into world markets and create a more moderate climate for the State of Israel.

[R]est assured: President Trump’s conduct of foreign policy is novel ...

First, he has publicly accepted even the most egregious Saudi lies more or less as fact. This sort of “public diplomacy” [JB emphasis] tends to make President Trump look either naïve or cynical — or both. ...

[W]hen it comes to Saudi Arabia, President Trump is following a precept handed down by his Oval Office predecessors: don’t criticize your allies. It’s not often that we see such devotion to tradition on the part of our 45th president.

Joseph J. Gonzalez is associate professor of Global Studies at Appalachian State University. He is a specialist on U.S.-Cuban relations.