THE CURRENT → THE ROSE REPORT Issue 679 · September 27, 2017

Trump’s Deal for Rogue States

Principled realism and maybe a dose of hypocrisy,The Rose Report: Trump’s Deal for Rogue States,Principled realism and maybe a dose of hypocrisy

By Binyamin Rose

Editor 3 min read September 27, 2017

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard at the annual event for foreign journalists, marking the new year, in Jerusalem, on January 10, 2018. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

A n argument often advanced against using force to topple despotic regimes is that the next despot might be worse. Israel has generally followed that line of reasoning declining to destroy Hamas and remaining neutral in Syria’s civil war.

But is this always the right policy? Or is there a value to conquering evil now and dealing with the consequences later? The thought arises following President Trump’s UN General Assembly address interpreted in some quarters as a direct military threat against North Korea and Iran.

Such an understanding is premature. It’s unlikely that Trump has decided to instigate a war against either rogue nation. However we do see signs that Trump’s foreign policy is beginning to crystalize around the “principled realism” worldview he invoked in May on his visit to Saudi Arabia.

When he repeated the “principled realism” idea during his UN speech Trump said: “We are guided by outcomes not ideologies.” Principled realism Trump said forces world leaders to confront dangers today with strength and pride so that citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow.