Trump's loss limits powers at home, but it will likely be different abroad

Voters handed Donald Trump a sweeping midterm defeat that cost his party both chambers of Congress, and BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen argues the loss will constrain him domestically while leaving his authority over the military, and thus his options overseas, intact. Bowen suggests a president who despises being seen as a loser may look to foreign moves he can present as proof of strength.

Iran is the most obvious candidate. Before the vote, American forces built up in the region, and the US struck an Iranian island in the Gulf in a limited raid. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, was briefed on options for renewed war before being hospitalized with a stroke, and he called them "insane." Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Americans had rejected war. Israeli acting prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly urging Trump toward renewed fighting.

Ukraine is another possibility. Trump eased sanctions on Moscow to obtain Russian diesel and could extend that relief. He may also lean harder on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give up territory. Bowen concludes that Trump is unlikely to sit passively through the remainder of his term.

Summarized by PolitiKool from BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at BBC →