President Donald Trump is making inroads in reshaping US foreign and trade policy to Washington’s advantage, two of his former aides argued in Foreign Affairs.

The White House’s approach of eschewing being the world’s policeman to instead focus on key geopolitical battlegrounds is paying off, an ex-assistant secretary of state wrote.

“The war it launched with Iran in February could advance consolidation if it remains narrowly scoped, but it could undermine the strategy if it becomes protracted,” he acknowledged.

A former US trade representative, meanwhile, said Washington’s use of tariffs represented a first step towards a “larger, more ambitious goal: replacing a defunct old trading system … with a new one built on the principles of balance, transparency, and sovereignty.”