Donald Trump has given the world a rather good sense of how he operates. Six features stand out.

One, Trump is a strict bilateralist. That he didn’t care much for multilateralism, except for the stage and attention it gave him, was well-known. But Trump weighs every country on its own merit, as he defines it, rather than as a part of a wider strategy or that particular country’s role vis-à-vis another third country.

The China relationship for him, therefore, is about what China brings to the table for him at this moment, not necessarily about what his own concessions would mean for the rest of the world — or even for America after five years. The India relationship is solely about what India brings to the table for him at this moment, not about what India can bring to the table vis-à-vis China now or in some distant future. The Pakistan relationship is similarly about what Pakistan can bring to the table for him at this moment, not about how it may or not complicate ties with India. The Ukraine relationship for him was about what Ukraine could give him (a minerals deal and concessions on territory), not about the fact that withdrawing US support would hand Russia a win; the Russia relationship right now for Trump is about what Russia can give him but is not giving him (peace in Ukraine for a pretty good deal); that’s why the current anger with Moscow.

Two, Trump is extractive, not transactional as the lazy cliche goes. When he enters a negotiation, it is not about a give and take; it is predominantly about take, with a........

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