America’s Foreign Policy under Donald Trump

Abstract

This chapter is a description and analysis of crucial foreign-policy issues in the four years of Donald Trump’s presidency. During this period, the United States largely abandoned the liberal global order, which it had led and protected since World War II. It has also alienated allies and maligned their democratic leaders even while the president has praised US foes and their authoritarian leaders. The chapter integrates crucial issues such as arms control, climate change, and trade with key states such as Russia, China, Europe, and Iran and examines the impact of these policies. In sum, America’s foreign policy since the 2016 presidential election has diverged from that of Trump’s predecessors while significantly increasing the dislike of the US globally but especially among those countries with which America had shaped deep military, political, and/or economic links, thereby establishing a more dangerous world.