The following article by Linda Qiu was posted on the New York Times website November 15, 2017:
WASHINGTON — President Trump marked his return from a five-country tour of Asia by recounting on Wednesday its “tremendous success” and that of his other trips abroad.
Deterred only by a struggle to quench his thirst, Mr. Trump listed numerous achievements against terrorism and for United States workers in claiming that “America is back.” But some of those statements don’t hold much water. Here’s an assessment.
He spoke of dealing ISIS ‘one crushing defeat after another’ since his meeting with Arab allies.
In detailing his May trip to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Trump said he spoke about “our strategy to defeat terrorists by stripping them of financing, territory and ideological support” and urged Arab states to drive terrorists from their societies.
It is true that the Islamic State has lost significant territory, including its de facto capital in Syria, “since that time,” as Mr. Trump said. But the extremist group had begun losing territory well before Mr. Trump’s trip to Riyadh, and he has largely kept to plans laid out under President Barack Obama. Continue reading “Trump’s ‘Tremendous Success’ Abroad Is Overstated”