Leaders | American foreign policy

Donald Trump will upend 80 years of American foreign policy

A superpower’s approach to the world is about to be turned on its head

A giant Donald Trump striding across the globe
image: Peter Crowther/Getty Images

DONALD TRUMP’S critics have often accused him of buffoonery and isolationism. Yet even before taking office on January 20th he has shown how much those words fall short of what his second term is likely to bring. As the inauguration approaches, he has helped secure a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Busting taboos, he has bid for control over Greenland, with its minerals and strategic position in the Arctic. Mr Trump’s second term will not only be more disruptive than his first; it will also supplant a vision of foreign policy that has dominated America since the second world war.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The Trump doctrine”

From the January 18th 2025 edition

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