Trump administration heads into major diplomatic challenges

World Today

Trump administration heads into major diplomatic challenges

Four days ahead of his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump is creating diplomatic waves worldwide.

While the details of his foreign policy plans remain speculation – the challenges he faces are concrete.

CGTN’s John Terrett reports:

The Security Council chamber at the United Nations in New York, most of the foreign policy challenges faced by the new administration will ultimately end up. The new U.S. ambassador to the U.N. – Nikki Haley – the former Governor of the state of South Carolina is a freshman when it comes to foreign affairs-but so too is Donald Trump.

Professor Maria Zaitseva said Trump’s win was greeted in Moscow by little short of outright jubilation.

Ending the war in Syria is one area where closer ties might develop with Russia seeking a change of heart in Washington over President Assad.

“Our strategy all along has been Assad has to go. There’s no agreement there’s, no negotiation, if Assad is part of the agreement and part of the administration. Russia has made it very clear for years running now that Assad has to stay and that the post war settlement has to include him as the leader,” Zaitseva said.

But while many analysts said the mutual admiration between Trump and Putin on display during the U.S. election campaign may continue short-term – history suggests it won’t last.

In the Middle East Trump’s promising total support for Israel. In December the U.S. abstained from a Security Council vote to condemn Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a flagrant violation of international law – rather than veto it. The Israelis were outraged. Trump’s promising things will be different at the U.N. when he’s in the White House.

However, Trump the dealmaker has hinted he’d like to intervene for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

It is the world’s most intractable conflict. With just days before the inauguration Donald Trump’s rattling the diplomatic world again-telling The Times of London NATO’s obsolete and offering Russia an end to sanctions for nuclear arms cut.

Donald Trump is a mold breaker. In foreign relations, as with everything else he touches-the world is just going to have to wait and see what happens next.


P.J. Crowley talks about Trump inauguration preview and his foreign policy plans

For more on Trump inauguration preview and his foreign policy plans,CGTN’s Asieh Namdar spoke to P.J. Crowley, former assistant-secretary of state.