Worlds Apart: Liberal Internationalism and the Trump ‘America First’ Foreign Policy

Abstract

Purpose: Two key academic questions that underpin the Donald Trump ‘America First’ foreign policy has to do with whether or not he developed a distinct foreign policy worthy of recognition in the International Relations discipline as a new foreign policy school of thought, and the exact kind of impact this kind of foreign policy have or could have on the liberal international system.

Materials and Methods: Academics and pundits who engage the subject either disagree that Trump developed a distinct foreign policy or agree that he did. But even scholars and pundits who agree that Trump developed a distinct foreign policy still disagree on the type. And while there is a seeming consensus about impact, there is disagreement on the type and scale of impact.

Findings: This article discusses the Trump ‘America First’ foreign policy and argues that Trump developed a distinct foreign policy worthy of recognition in the International Relations discipline as a new foreign policy school of thought best described as the Trump Doctrine.

Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: It discusses the impact of this foreign policy on liberal internationalism, and argues that a US foreign policy that ends US stewardship of the international system tears the world apart.