According to US President Donald Trump, Turkey's invasion of northern Syria "has nothing to do with us". America's long-time adversaries in the region - Syria, Iran and Russia - should be left to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). And it's good that Syria is now protecting the Kurds he has just abandoned.
Mr Trump's two rambling appearances in the White House on Wednesday are notable not merely for their incoherence, which is by now familiar. They also amount to a raw expression of his foreign policy: He is the leading proponent of what might be called American unexceptionalism.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
