If the US should abandon or violate the Iranian nuclear accord, an agreement reached after years of negotiation and with consent of European allies, the results would only be negative for the US in terms of its international image, moral high ground and Trump’s start on diplomatic front. Such a move would signal to the world that the US cannot be trusted.

Traditional hands-off posture toward foreign entanglements could well be the hallmark of the incoming administration, as it pursues the new president’s call to put “America first”. It remains to be seen whether that is a formula for isolation or trade wars in the modern era.

President Barack Obama makes his final appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week, with the world looking far different from the one he envisioned taking shape under his leadership when he first addressed the annual gathering eight years ago.

As the national conventions loom ahead, Americans prepare to choose the next president on the basis of economic issues. But it is the return of the neoconservatives that will overshadow the discourse on foreign policy – and China.