What matters here is this. The agreement to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons took years to conclude, involved all the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany and also the EU. All signed the treaty. The difference between civilised nations and rogue states is that the former sign agreements and stick to them and the latter tear them up when it suits them. We know Trump hates Iran. Yet America fights beside Iranian backed Shia militias against IS. There is no excuse to mess with this deal, as Trump calls it, because Iran is in compliance with every aspect of the issues covered by it. Moreover every single signatory is opposed to the American position, including Britain, France and Germany as well as the EU.
Trump cares not a jot. His ego far exceeds any other on the planet and if he wants, he will. The difficulty is that now nobody will rely on any agreement his administration seeks to make; least of all North Korea. The notion that they will stop their nuclear weapons development in exchange for a peace agreement in which America plays a part, is now off the table. This is a foolish act by a politically inexperienced incumbent in the White House, who plays to his conservative base before he considers the long term strategic interests of his country.
Of course he must be tough with enemies, but to be effective America must lead the world in reliability and trustworthiness. After the TPP, the Climate Change Agreement and now this threat to the Iran deal, the signal is clear. You cannot trust America’s signature any more. But Trump does not care. He revels in it. He thinks it makes America Great Again. The sad truth is America just got a whole lot smaller.
It is one thing to be isolationist. It is another to be isolated. And yet another to be shunned.