John Kerry Says Trump’s ‘Unpredictability’ Is a Virtue in Negotiations

Former Secretary of State and top climate negotiator John Kerry said President-elect Donald Trump’s “unpredictability” could be an advantage in dealing with adversaries. “He makes unpredictability a virtue, and it actually can be helpful,” Kerry said on Nov. 21 at an event hosted by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. “Don’t laugh,” he then said, as the audience was laughing. “It could be helpful in a negotiation for them to worry about you and not know where you’re coming from,” he said in response to a question about U.S. negotiations over Iran and Middle Eastern terrorism. That could give Trump’s foreign policy team latitude at the start of negotiations with foreign powers because it would allow Trump to first establish the terms before offering any material proposals, Kerry said. Trump’s foreign policy team likely will be headed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), his choice for secretary of state....