The Atlantic

Trump's Establishment Approach to Syria

Why did the most unconventional of presidents respond to his first foreign policy crisis in such a conventional way?
Source: Carlos Barria / Reuters

Why did Donald Trump, who won the GOP nomination, in part, by bucking his party’s interventionist foreign policy establishment, thrill it on Friday by launching missile strikes against the government of Bashar Assad? Why did the most unconventional of presidents respond to his first foreign policy crisis in such a conventional way?

The recent history of American foreign policy shows why it’s not that big a surprise. Even unconventional presidents tend to surround themselves with conventional advisors.

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