The Difference Between an 'Ally' and a 'Protectorate'

There’s a certain observable pair of traits that dominate President Donald Trump’s foreign-policy calculus: He understands good and daring optics, but he hates protracted attritional conflicts. He likes a performative display of short-term strength; he hates the idea of Americans dying under his watch, and has no interest in joining a fray that might lead thither.