When the European Commission recently attempted to blacklist 23 countries that it accuses of being hotspots for money laundering and terrorism financing, a technocratic spat quickly escalated into a diplomatic dispute. The list enraged countries on it, while provoking insurmountable criticism from within the European Union.

Loyal followers of U.S. President Donald Trump might enthusiastically proclaim that his “America First” foreign policy has been a success. His apologists more modestly argue that, if you ignore Twitter, what little has changed in U.S. foreign policy is for the better. Both claims are quite simply wrong.