The surprise is not so much Donald Trump's withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, but that the US took so long to go.

The official reason given was the council's "chronic anti-Israel bias" that "makes a mockery of human rights".

Those quotes came from the US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley, who described the council as "hypocritical and self-serving".

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The council's regular, highly critical reviews of Israeli policies and actions against Palestinians have been the source of deep unease in Jerusalem and Washington.

This "harassment" of Israel was coming from members like Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Russia and Vietnam — hardly beacons of human rights.

In simple terms, Mr Trump believes those guilty of systemic human rights violations were sitting judge and jury, pontificating about the perceived crimes committed by Israel. And he's called time on that.

The move is consistent with the President's dislike for multilateral organisations and his wholehearted support for the Israeli government.

It follows the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fuelling the protests in Gaza that saw over 100 people shot dead by Israeli soldiers.

What's more, Israel has never had a closer friend in the White House than with Mr Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran.

This is despite Iran abiding by the agreement, according to its other signatories.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ( Reuters: Ronen Zvulun )

The Council is far from perfect

While decrying "hypocrisy" on human rights, Mr Trump failed to raise the US concerns about North Korea's shocking human rights record while meeting with Kim Jong-un last week.

Remember, this is a man who has been reported to have murdered his own family members, including an uncle and half-brother.

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Mr Trump needed a deal on nuclear weapons, not to deliver a lecture on human rights.

Mr Trump certainly has a point when he questions the motives and human rights histories of those on the UN Council.

Some of its members are not exactly infused with democratic values or respect for human rights.

No-one claims it is the perfect vehicle, but many friends of the United States were arguing it's better to push for reform from within rather than withdraw altogether.

Especially as it's feared this could be the beginning of further disengagement by the US from the UN.

Mr Trump has never been a fan of the organisation. He's not drawn to multilateral diplomacy, preferring one-on-one deals like the one he just brokered with Pyongyang.

Trump prefers a duo

The North America Free Trade Agreement hangs in the balance, with Mr Trump accusing Canada and Mexico of playing the US for fools.

One of his first decisions in office was to pull out of the Trans Pacific Partnership.

The problem with multilateral structures is there are so many voices. Mr Trump prefers not a chorus but a duo, preferably one he dominates.

So how far could the US President take this dislike of group decision-making?

Could he pull out of the World Trade Organisation if he believes its decisions don't favour his country?

What about the International Monetary fund, or a host of other organisations that lubricate the international rules-based order?

We shouldn't be surprised by Mr Trump's world view. He has consistently said it's "America first", and if that means it's the rest of the world last, so be it.

He was not elected President of the Planet.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow last year. ( AP: Sergei Ilnitsky )

While others flex, US turns in

At the very moment Russia and China are flexing their considerable muscle, the US is looking stateside, not worldwide.

The decision to unilaterally suspend war games with the South Koreans to placate Pyongyang put a smile not just on Mr Kim's face, but also Xi Jinping's.

Any sign the US is reducing its strategic might in north Asia will be met with approval in Beijing.

At a time when regional dominance is being aggressively questioned, Trump's America seems less willing to provide answers.

We knew the Trump administration would be different. That he would scrap multilateral ties he deems unfair or useless.

Decision by decision, he is changing how the US deals with "the other".

And we, on the outside of the "America first" doctrine, are mere helpless bystanders.