Trump's Foreign Policy Shift: Prioritizing Deals Over Norms

President Donald Trump's emphasis on foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, has taken a significant shift towards prioritizing deals over promoting democratic values and norms. This approach was evident in his recent call for pardoning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges. Trump's administration has adopted a two-pronged approach to corruption, seeking revenge against those who accuse him of it while granting forgiveness for others.

In his first months in office, Trump largely shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds efforts to spread democracy worldwide. His administration has also ignored human rights abuses in countries like El Salvador, where it sent deportees to a notorious prison. Furthermore, the State Department has stopped commenting on the fairness of elections in most cases and cut references to government corruption from its annual human rights reports.

This shift in approach has been criticized by experts, with Princeton University professor Kim Lane Scheppele stating that Trump's actions "lay bare a U.S. foreign policy myth that 'we don't intervene in Israel's politics and they don't intervene in ours.'"

Key Takeaways:

• Trump's administration has shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds efforts to promote democracy abroad.
• The State Department has stopped commenting on the fairness of elections in most cases and cut references to government corruption from its annual human rights reports.
• Trump has granted forgiveness for others accused of breaking the public trust, including former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and New York Mayor Eric Adams.
• The administration has intervened in foreign matters by supporting autocratic nations like El Salvador on immigration and imposing tariffs on countries like Brazil.
• Trump has expressed support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, despite his conviction and sentencing to 27 years in prison.
• The administration's Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel omitted any mention of democracy or human rights for the Palestinian enclave's future.
• Trump's shift in foreign policy is part of a broader approach to prioritize deals over norms, which has been met with criticism from experts.

Statistics:

• 20 points: The number of points in Trump's plan for creating a "technocratic, apolitical" government for the Palestinian enclave.
• 27 years: The prison sentence for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
• $1 billion: The estimated value of the jet donated by Qatar to the US Air Force.
• 97%: The percentage of Brazilians who disapprove of Bolsonaro's administration.
• 20 years: The amount of time since Hamas last held elections in Gaza.

Sources:

• Byline: Patrick Marley; Adam Taylor
• Original text
• Statement by White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly
• Statement by State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott
• Email by Robert Destro, former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor
• Interview with Princeton University professor Kim Lane Scheppele
• Interview with Harvard University professor Steven Levitsky
• Interview with University of Oklahoma professor Fabio de Sa e Silva
• Interview with Israeli analysts and former U.S. diplomat Aaron David Miller