policy
After Tumultuous Election, Foreign Policy Direction Less Clear
December, 2016
Written by Liz Schrayer
Here’s our takeaways on foreign policy
and Election 2016:
1. Foreign Policy a Top Issue.
As voters
headed to the polls, 4 out of 5 said that
foreign policy was either “extremely
important” or “very important” to their
vote regardless of which presidential
candidate they supported, not surprising given the growing humanitarian crises and instability in the world.
However, with the historic closeness of
the race, “foreign policy” likely meant
something very different for many
Trump and Clinton supporters. At the
same time, the vast array of Congressional winners and their opponents ran
campaigns on records that were supportive of U.S. engagement to solve
global challenges.
32 iF Magazine | DECEMBER 2016
2. U.S. Joins Rising Populist Tide Around
the World. With that said, many pundits
saw the unpredicted nature of Trump’s
victory as part of a rising nationalist
tide against immigration, trade, and
globalization. While the exact size and
nature of this anti-engagement sentiment among some American voters
is unknown, a portion of voters on the
left and certainly the right were clearly
drawn to an anti-trade and likely broader nativist message. Expect the anxiety around global economic issues and
protectionism to endure.
3. Trump’s Unconventional Foreign Policy
Platform. After decades of GOP sup-
port for American engagement abroad,
Trump’s foreign policy positions countered traditional GOP foreign policy
doctrine from challenging alliances to
anti-trade rhetoric to his “merica First”
platform (a throwback to the original
1940s brand of isolationism). This led
to significant rifts among GOP foreign
policy stalwarts and sowed fears with
allies overseas. One recent night,
Trump appeared to thread a needle
between his “American interests first”
campaign pledge and his words that
America “will deal fairly with everyone … We will seek common ground,
not hostility; partnership, not conflict.”
Eyes will be watching to see how the
President-elect embraces Reagan’s
“peace through strength” approach and
if he fills his cabinet with internationalist advisors like Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker and National Security Transition Chair, former
Congressman Mike Rogers.