After rejecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in his first week in office and the COP-21 global environmental pact a few weeks later, Donald Trump was typecast by most Washington observers as the antithesis of a globally sensitive diplomat.

His political base applauded this parochialism as heralding a new era of putting American domestic interests first. Yet as president of the United States, Trump must inevitably engage with a broader world, which has different priorities.

In his early Middle Eastern and European forays, Trump was acclaimed in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Poland for his defense of local interests. Yet he made few positive waves at major NATO and Group of 20 summits. Now he is turning to the Pacific, with visits to five key Asian nations, as well as two major international conferences in Southeast Asia, between Nov. 3 and 14.