It’s fair to say that Donald Trump’s model for international decision-making isn’t a UN meeting–it’s the scene in “The Godfather” in which the heads of the five families reach an agreement on the dealing of drugs. In Trump’s view, international law is a bad joke, our “allies” are only out to screw us, thugs are everywhere, and nothing but money and power matter. In the end, the rich, the strong, and the shrewd always prevail.
While this is a gross oversimplification of how the world works, it isn’t completely wrong. There are plenty of thugs out there, starting with Putin. The Democratic nominee needs to be someone with the street smarts and the backbone to handle them.
And so, I would suggest that you impose the following test on each of the candidates: if he or she is president, and Putin shows up for a meeting an hour late, and with his dog, will he or she know how to handle the situation?
Joe Biden passes this test. Bernie Sanders fails it, due to his 70’s era phobia about using American power. As for the rest, it’s TBD. That’s the great virtue of the endless campaign; we learn a lot about the candidates in the process.