President Trump is really bad at international relations

And the diplomatic crises are rolling in

President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a joint news conference at the White House in February 2017.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

If there is one word that defines Barack Obama's presidency, it would be "calm."

Obama's famous unflappability was occasionally put to bad use, as when he made excuses for CIA torture, allowed "the blob" to buffalo him into intervening in Libya, or failed to prosecute systematic mortgage fraud. But more often than not, his composure had a lot to recommend about it. Other things being equal, it makes good sense for a president to be cool and careful, especially when it comes to the use of force. The American military is the most powerful weapon that has ever existed, and it is a lot easier to break things than fix them.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.