Description
With the Trump presidency coming to an end, an assessment of the nature of Trump’s foreign policy is warranted. The aim of this paper is to examine with what International Relations theory Trump’s grand strategy conforms best. Its main argument is that the main tenets of Trump’s foreign policy are closest to the realist tradition in International Relations. His foreign policy is marked by a notable disregard of the domestic complexion of foreign states, be it allies or adversaries, a strictly transactional approach to interstate interactions, and a general disdain for regime change operations and nation-building. Illustrating Trump’s realist inclinations, the paper examines Trump’s attitude towards NATO, his Iran policy, and his trade war with China in a series of mini-case studies.
