How Trump intends to deal with two global conflicts is hard to predict
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
Donald Trump likes to say that he ends wars, but he is about to inherit two major conflicts that were not there when he was last in office: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s multi-front war in the Middle East.
Then there's North Korea, with its accelerated nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and the looming possibility of a Chinese blockade of America’s ally, Taiwan.
How Trump 2.0 will deal with these problems is hard to predict, especially without the steadying hand of the cautious, highly experienced generals he had at his side during his previous presidency.
Strangely, that very unpredictability can sometimes be an advantage - it keeps your adversaries guessing.
Will it propel Putin towards a deal over Ukraine? Will it steer a wayward Kim Jong-Un back to the negotiating table? Will it deter Beijing from trying to take over Taiwan? Will it force Iran to rein in its militias to prevent a US-backed Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities?
Unpredictability, the byword of the last Trump presidency, is about to make a comeback.