Good morning P!
Yes I read that and had sent to you last night also, but it disappeared from my Outbox before it went....
I had commented that part of the reason for the win (which Douthat doesn't mention) was Trump Admin's changed rules of engagement (ROE). The generals were given flexibility to get on with the job. I'd read about that somewhere last week. Under Obama they'd only been allowed to be defensive. Under Trump ROE they can go on offensive. Made all the difference according to the generals.
(Obama really was a pusillanimous prick on foreign policy. Can't forgive him - and neither do commentators from all political sides - for the Syria "red line" bungle-cum-catastrophe).
This article was spot on the timing that Scott Adams predicted for this phase. The phase being "acknowledge his effectiveness even if you don't like what's being done". He'd predicted it way back as December.
Also note what Douthat says about the Trump admin Jerusalem decision. No major push back from the Arab world because they've got other things going on including getting along better with Israel. I'd add heightened Sunni v Shia competition. Saudi v Iran.
From a chilly Hong Kong — 10 degrees.
