Opinion: Talk tough, and weaken America

Also: Bret Stephens defends the withdrawal from the Iran deal. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, May 9, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist There is a theme to President Trump’s foreign policy: Talk tough, and weaken America’s global standing. It’s virtually the opposite of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous line, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” In Asia, for example, Trump’s withdrawal from a trade pact has [thrilled China’s leaders]( clearing the way for China to increase its regional influence at the expense of the United States. Yesterday, of course, Trump announced he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The decision horrified America’s closest allies. Our enemies and rivals, on the other hand, are quite pleased. “I don’t see any way Iran hardliners aren’t going to take this as a big win,” [tweeted]( Melissa Hanham of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. The withdrawal probably won’t set off “an immediate emergency,” Ilan Goldenberg and Ariane Tabatabai [writeÂ]( Slate](. Rather, Iran will likely resume its pre-deal nuclear activities incrementally. At some point, America and its allies will have a choice: “accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or pursuing military action” to stop it. This is why Trump’s move is an enormous risk. It’s an attempt to weaken the Iranian government in the hopes that a “stable, well-functioning, and pro-American” one will replace it, [Stephen Walt explains in Foreign Policy](. But reneging on the deal undermines Iran’s more moderate politicians — including its current president, Hassan Rouhani — who backed negotiations. In The Times, the editorial board notes that Trump keeps blowing up Obama administration deals — on trade, climate change and now Iran — and promising to improve them. But “so far, again and again, he has shown himself to be adept at destroying agreements — a relatively easy task for a president — and utterly lacking in the policy depth or strategic vision and patience to create new ones,” [the]( board writes](. Trump’s decision was a “reckless gamble” and “an act of utter petulance,” writes my colleague [Roger Cohen]( [Nick Kristof]( asks: “Why destroy a deal that is working, other than to dismantle some of Obama’s legacy?” And if you want to read a vigorous defense of Trump’s move, which I encourage you to do, [try Bret Stephens’s column](. Bret writes: “The goal is to put Iran’s rulers to a fundamental choice. They can opt to have a functioning economy, free of sanctions and open to investment, at the price of permanently, verifiably and irreversibly forgoing a nuclear option and abandoning their support for terrorists. Or they can pursue their nuclear ambitions at the cost of economic ruin and possible war. But they are no longer entitled to Barack Obama’s sweetheart deal of getting sanctions lifted first, retaining their nuclear options for later, and sponsoring terrorism throughout.” Election night. Several states held primaries last night, and the more extreme, less electable candidates — on both sides — generally lost. To put it another way, the primary candidates whom the other party was rooting against mostly won. There was an exception. In south-central North Carolina, an incumbent Republican congressman, Robert Pittenger, lost his primary to Rev. Mark Harris, a pastor. The result, [writes the elections analyst G. Elliott Morris]( “means that it is an open contest in November. Without the GOP incumbency advantage, Democrats’ prospects increase from 20 percent chance of winning to a 45 percent shot.” The full Opinion report from The Times follows. On the Iran Deal [Where’s That Better Deal, Mr. Trump?]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Now he promises a better deal with Iran. The American people are already waiting for him to deliver on a string of such promises. Op-Ed Columnist [A Courageous Trump Call on a Lousy Iran Deal]( By BRET STEPHENS Now we’ll see whether the administration is capable of following through. Op-Ed Columnist [Trump Vandalizes the Iran Deal]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF The president is isolating the United States, not Iran, and increasing the risk of war. Op-Ed Columnist [Trump to Iran: America’s Word is Worthless]( By ROGER COHEN Withdrawing from the nuclear deal harms America and its allies and could ignite the Middle East. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Trump’s Most Foolish Decision Yet]( By SUSAN E. RICE The Iran nuclear deal has worked as intended. Violating it will make the United States far less safe. From Our Columnists Op-Ed Columnist [The U.S. and China: More Alike Than We’d Like?]( By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The similarities in government propaganda, toeing the ruling party’s line and political self-censorship are disturbing. Op-Ed Columnist [Make Catholicism Weird Again]( By ROSS DOUTHAT The Met Gala and the future of the church. Op-Ed Columnist [How Many Funerals Will Donald Trump Have to Skip?]( By FRANK BRUNI We have a president so proudly offensive that his last respects are spoiled goods. What You Need to Know About Gina Haspel [I Have a Few Questions for Gina Haspel]( By FATIMA BOUDCHAR I was tortured at a C.I.A. black site in Thailand. Will you let it happen again? [Lawyers Told Gina Haspel Torture Was Legal. But It Never Was.]( By CLAIRE FINKELSTEIN AND STEPHEN N. XENAKIS The Senate must hold the C.I.A. nominee accountable for the harsh treatment of detainees under her watch and for destroying evidence of torture. [America Doesn’t Need Gina Haspel. We Need a Debate on Torture.]( By ARIEL DORFMAN Whether the Senate confirms Ms. Haspel as the director of the C.I.A. or not, the United States needs a conversation about torture and rendition. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT On Eric Schneiderman Contributing Op-Ed Writer [The Problem With ‘Feminist’ Men]( By JILL FILIPOVIC At work, Eric Schneiderman championed women. At home, his exes say, the opposite was true. [The Wreckage Schneiderman Leaves Behind]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD New Yorkers deserve the chance to choose a law enforcement leader who will be honest, independent and moral. More in Opinion [What Is Kim Jong-un’s Game?]( By JEAN-PIERRE CABESTAN North Korea is making overtures to South Korea to get closer to America and keep China in check. [Tech’s Race Problem Beyond the Numbers]( By BÄRÍ A. 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