PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s recent meeting with President Donald Trump is an excellent example of a realpolitik approach to foreign policy, says a former US presidential writer.

Ned Ryun, who worked for President George W. Bush, said this foreign policy approach was what the US had “desperately needed for more than a decade”.

“Rather than coddling tin-pot dictators and terrorists at the White House, we have an administration that is willing to work with leaders willing to work with the US, reach mutually beneficial agreements, and along the way strengthen US national and economic security both abroad and at home,” Ryun said in a commentary published by American Greatness, an online news portal, on Tuesday.

He attributed Malaysia’s decision to cut off all imports from North Korea as the result of “savvy foreign policy gamesmanship” by the Trump administration.

Ryun said this was despite Najib’s visit to the White House on Sept 11 being described by some media organisations as “controversial” and a “terrible idea”, with so-called foreign policy experts terming the meeting “a setback to the rule of law.”

To the contrary, Ryun said the Trump-Najib meeting paid off, with Malaysia to buy jets worth up to US$20mil (RM84mil) from Boeing, and invest an additional US$3bil to US$4bil (RM12.7bil-RM16.9bil) besides the US$7bil (RM29.6bil) Malaysia already spends in the US.

He said both leaders were also committed to working on a trade deal and strengthening regional security.

“Najib came to Washington hoping to strengthen Malaysia’s economic and strategic partnership between the US and Malaysia, and left having achieved both.

“One wonders where the media watchdogs were when (former) President Barack Obama climbed into bed with the Castro regime in Cuba, or when he endorsed the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring uprisings which led to the downfall of one of America’s stronger allies in the region,” said Ryun, who is the founder and CEO of American Majority, an NGO that provides training to conservative activists and political candidates in the US.

Ryun said Obama had in fact continued to endorse the Muslim Brotherhood, which was spreading religious zealotry and violence to countries like Malaysia.

He said the Trump administration had two goals with Malaysia, to solidify a friendship that was weakened by the Obama administration and to reinforce the role Malaysia can play in the region as a key strategic partner of the US.

“The Trump administration also wanted to prevent a turn toward China as Malaysia can play a vital role in the Asia Pacific region on trade, counter-terrorism and in our relationship with China,” said Ryun, who is the son of former US Congressman Jim Ryun.