November 23, 2016
Deciphering Trump's Asia Policy
What "America First" Will Mean for Regional Order
Scholars who claim to know with any certainty how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy will crystalize are engaging in tenuous prophecy. As they and the United States’ international partners strain to determine the contours of his plans, however, there are at least two groups of source material on which they can draw. The first is Trump’s statements on foreign policy during his campaign; the second is the writings of his closest national security advisers.
When it comes to the president-elect’s approach to Asia, these two sets of evidence point in different directions: one toward retrenchment and the other toward unilateralism. Yet these divergent visions have something important in common. Neither calls for a foreign policy centered around the system of alliances, rules, and norms that have underpinned the United States’ leadership of the international order since 1945. Together with the deep uncertainty surrounding Trump’s objectives for Asia and the tools he has suggested he will use to pursue them, the absence of principled and predictable U.S. leadership could lead to a destabilizing shift in the regional balance of power in the near term.
Read the full piece at Foreign Affairs
More from CNAS
-
Global Leaders Condemn Pahalgam Terror Attack
Video
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attacks, global leaders, including Trump and Macron, condemned the violence and expressed solidarity with India. As calls for justice grow, ...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Ziemba: Struck By Energy Deal Between India & Saudi Arabia
Video
Saudi Arabia and India have agreed to deepen energy ties and cooperate more closely on tourism and technology as the countries seek to strengthen relations at a time of turbul...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Trump’s Crackdown on Foreign Students Is a Gift to China
Commentary
When top global talent no longer sees America as a stable, long-term bet — in light of both visa and research funding insecurity — many will vote with their feet....
By Jordan Schneider
-
Trump Administration Realises That The Tariff Strategy Has Backfired: Lisa Curtis
Video
Trump administration realises that the tariff strategy has backfired, says Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and program director at the Center for a New American Security.Watch the ...
By Lisa Curtis
