April 14, 2017
Isolationist who? Americans are more globalist than you might think.
It is old news that, as a candidate, President Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric departed sharply — dangerously, many would say — from decades-old precepts about the role of the United States in the world. But what has received less attention is, does the new administration’s approach reflect the will of the American people?
The assumption seems to be that Trump voters want bellicose warnings to our foes and sharp elbows with our allies, sweeping reductions in foreign aid, a get-tough approach on trade deals, and an intensified military fight against ISIS. As the administration puts theory into practice, the foreign policy establishment worries that we, as a country, have turned a corner: that 70 years of domestic consensus on America as the leader of the free world, and on the importance of a rules-based international order, have come crashing down.
Not so fast. President Trump’s electoral victory was not the death-knell of the American public’s desire for U.S. global leadership, or for advancing our interests using all “three D’s”: defense, diplomacy, and development. To assume the contrary is to over-learn the lessons of last November.
Read the full article at The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
Escalation Spiral? Fears of a 'Forever War' as Both Sides Dig In
Becca Wasser, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security joins CNN to discuss tactical success versus strategic success in the war in Iran and Iran's capa...
By Becca Wasser
-
The Ties That Bind
Introduction U.S. policymakers have made the revitalization of the U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) a top national security priority and are directing considerable resources...
By Cara Abercrombie
-
How Low-Cost Drones Are Used in Modern Military Strikes
There have been decades of attempts to make destructive drones, going back to World War I. The technology has advanced significantly since then. Drones now range in size from ...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
Defense / Indo-Pacific Security
U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral CooperationExecutive Summary Growing challenges from the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) massive military modernization, rapid technological advancement, and coercive military activ...
By Lisa Curtis & Ryan Claffey