How Trump’s Foreign Policy Is Reshaping Global Stability and Undermining the Postwar Order

Trump’s Foreign Policy: A Shift Toward Disruption

When President Donald Trump returned to office last year, he pledged to largely avoid foreign entanglements. Yet over the past year, his administration has taken aggressive steps, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, threats to annex Greenland, and pressure on Cuba’s communist government to destabilize it. Additionally, Trump has openly discussed making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

The most consequential move, however, has been the attack on Iran. Reports indicate the strike killed thousands inside the country and disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Undermining the Liberal International Order

While some observers see Trump’s actions as an attempt to revive American imperialism, historian Daniel Immerwahr of Northwestern University argues otherwise. In his book How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, Immerwahr contends that Trump is not expanding American influence but instead cannibalizing the existing empire through what he describes as a “hit-and-run” foreign policy.

“People sometimes look at Trump’s wars and they see imperialism,” Immerwahr says. “But instead, Trump is cannibalizing the empire through what he calls ‘hit-and-run’ foreign policy.”

On this week’s More To The Story, Immerwahr joins host Al Letson to dissect Trump’s attack on Iran, the reasons behind his disruption of the postwar international order, and the long-term consequences of his impulsive foreign policy.

Where to Listen

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