The Cable
The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

Trump and Asia, Deportations, and Oh, Canada: The Weekend Behind, the Week Ahead

Catch up on the top news stories you may have missed this weekend.

By , a global affairs journalist and the author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews.
trump-crop
trump-crop

While U.S. President Donald Trump was with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence (or, as he now calls it, the Winter White House), North Korea conducted a missile test.

While U.S. President Donald Trump was with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence (or, as he now calls it, the Winter White House), North Korea conducted a missile test.

The timing of Pyongyang’s provocative test likely wasn’t coincidence: Trump and Abe reportedly discussed defense and security issues amid rising tensions in East Asia.

Also while the president was golfing in Florida, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided homes and workplaces in at least six states, arresting hundreds of undocumented immigrants — including some without criminal records. The move, following Trump’s longstanding pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, is an apparent departure from raids conducted during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Meanwhile, refugees are leaving the United States for Canada in record numbers, with some risking hypothermia and frostbite in the process. But that is unlikely to come up at the Monday meeting between Trump and his Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Their talks are expected to focus on trade. Trump repeatedly said he wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) binding the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican economies together. Trudeau’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, made clear during her visit to Washington last week that more than one North American country can negotiate.

The two leaders will also be discussing women in the workforce. Trudeau gave Canada its first half-female cabinet. Trump did not follow suit. But he did stand up for at least one working woman: his daughter, Ivanka, after Nordstrom’s dropped her clothing line from its stores.

Ivanka’s husband (and top White House adviser) Jared Kushner also has a full plate this week. Kushner is expected to be heavily involved in the Middle East peace process, a key agenda item for the White House this week as it prepares for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington Wednesday.

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Emily Tamkin is a global affairs journalist and the author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews. She was a staff writer at Foreign Policy from 2016-2018. Twitter: @emilyctamkin

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.