It is doubtful that President Trump is planning to change the regime in Tehran or to try to remake Iran into a liberal democratic nation.

The continuing American obsession with Russia plays directly into Beijing's hands and makes it less likely that Washington will develop an effective strategy to deal with China.

Many presidents have built their foreign-policy strategy around ad hoc responses to unexpected developments.

Foreign-policy elites see the world as a clash of ideas. Trump wants practical responses to real problems.