I agree that Trump is different from all previous presidents, but one of the ways to see this is analyzing his actions using the normal framework.

That being said, I think it’s apparent he doesn’t understand international relations, and doesn’t know or doesn’t care that he doesn’t understand it. I don’t see any value in pretending he’s acting according to a well-thought-out strategy, as opposed to impulse and self-interest.

The one saving grace has been his ego-stroking desire to associate himself with highly respected military leaders, which has made his foreign policy less bad than it could be (so far).