The election of Donald Trump was like the ending of The Sixth Sense:
A shocking, sad turn of events that makes you realize you’re in the hands of a master manipulator.
The events of the three weeks since Hillary Clinton’s concession have been like a
A succession of increasingly brazen middle fingers to logic and common sense.
We’re sure you’ve heard about Trump feuding with the cast of Hamilton.
And of course there’s the thoroughly justified outrage over Trump’s staff appointments, which include a white nationalist (Steve Bannon), the guy who financed the Entourage movie (Steven Mnuchin), and a man so corrupt that he would need to notify his parole officer if he accepts the job (David Petraeus).
But from the time he first announced his candidacy, one of the biggest concerns about President-elect Trump had to do with his complete lack of foreign policy experience and his inflammatory comments about the governments and citizens of other nations.
Trump’s recent telephone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif provided the perfect example of why his unique combination of bloviating self-aggrandizement and shameless glad-handing may not be the right tone for the geopolitical stage
As you may already know, US-Pakistani relations have been tense for decades.
In addition to the fact that Pakistan has been accused of knowingly harboring terrorists (Osama bin Laden was killed there in 2011), the nation is forever at odds with India over the disputed Kashmir territory, and many fear that the situation could erupt in a nuclear conflict.
Needless to say, it’s an incredibly delicate situation, so naturally Trump is handling the situation with all the tactful grace of one of his Rosie O’Donnell tweets.
“Ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems,” Trump reportedly told Sharif, a man who could potentially bring about the nuclear apocalypse.
He reportedly added:
“You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way.”
To understand the bizarre nature of this situation, it helps to think of the situation as a game of Risk.
The US has gone to great lengths to ensure that Pakistan is aware that it maintains strong ties to India, while Pakistan has been allying itself with China.
Basically, instead of taking his turn to roll the dice, Trump just upended the game board, which was no easy feat with his tiny, tiny hands.