Another Danger of Domestic Political Escalation

With Trump controversies consuming yet another news cycle, I thought it might be useful to highlight an overall trend and a paradox.

Underneath much of the Washington establishment’s hostility to Donald Trump is the fear that he would undermine the position of the United States as the hub of various international alliances and commitments. To preserve the architecture of the post-war international order, these critics believe, Trump must be fought with every possible tool; according to this view, breaking political guardrails would have a civic price, but it would be worth it to preserve America’s place in the world.