Unfinished Business: Making America Safe Again

Donald Trump is fond of claiming that his predecessor mismanaged America's role in the world. And I have to just say that the world is a mess. I inherited a mess, the president noted during a joint press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan in the Rose Garden on April 5. Whether it's the Middle East, he continued, whether it's North Korea, whether it's so many other things, whether it's in our country—horrible trade deals—I inherited a mess.The world is an inherently messy place, and each president is left with problems unresolved by the man who preceded him. But when it comes to America's fight against terrorism, Trump has a point. Barack Obama claimed that he brought the war in Iraq to a responsible end and promised do the same in Afghanistan. In reality, he ended neither of the 9/11 wars. While Obama was arguing that the tide of war is receding, new conflicts emerged and old ones intensified.