Trump’s Foreign Policies Are Better Than They Seem

President Donald J. Trump’s actions have often been rash, ignorant, and chaotic. But an automatic dismissal of President Trump’s foreign policy is too simple. It lacks a careful examination of Trump’s and his administration’s objectives, strategies, and policies; their connections to U.S. national interests; or their actual successes and failures. What matters most is the effectiveness of U.S. policy over time and its consistency with U.S. national interests, not the personal qualities of its leaders.

This Council Special Report by Robert D. Blackwill examines in detail Trump’s actions in a turbulent world in important policy areas, including the United States’ relationships with its allies, its relationships with China and Russia, and its policies on the Middle East and climate change. This report acknowledges the persuasive points of Trump’s critics, but at the same time seeks to perform exacting autopsies on their less convincing critiques. It then gives a grade to each of the president’s major foreign policies. Finally, this report comes to a net assessment of the overall quality of the Trump administration’s foreign policy halfway through his first term.