How U.S. Foreign Policy Has Changed In Trump 's First Year In Office : NPR
How U.S. Foreign Policy Has Changed In  Trump 's First Year In Office
As the end of  President Trump 's first year in office approaches  NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Walter Russell Mead  a professor of foreign affairs at Bard College and former editor of The American Interest  about how U.S. foreign policy has changed during Trump's term.
This Saturday marks the end of  President Trump 's first year in office  and we wanted to take stock of a promise he made back on his very first day about how he planned to carry out foreign policy.
 PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP : From this day forward  it's going to be only America First  America First.
KELLY: President Trump appears to be less comfortable dealing with America's traditional allies - you can look at some European leaders  for example - than with authoritarian regimes. And I wonder  A  would you agree with that? B  is it a problem?
MEAD: I think we have to limit that and say he's less comfortable with European allies. Part of it is that the European Union is sort of ideologically committed to an idea of a liberal world order where the rule of law is paramount  democratic peace theory and so on. And it's not I think so much that  Trump  hates democracy but that  Trump  doesn't believe that you can actually build a stable world on these foundations.
KELLY: What about what's been perhaps  his  most closely watched personal relationship? And I'm referring to  his  relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Have you been able to figure it out?
MEAD: That is  under Trump  U.S. policy is almost as anti-Russian as it can be at the strategic level. So modernize and rebuild your nuclear forces. Increase your military spending  forcing Russia either to compete in a league that it can't afford or to drop back.
But at the same time   Trump  possibly like other American presidents   has overestimated the role of atmospherics and had hoped to still have good relations with Russia even as  he  was taking a wrecking ball to the foundations of Russian power.
MEAD: ...Who were the two most important partners for us in Asia and  therefore  I think in the world. They have done a reasonable though not a great job working past some of the issues in U.S.-European relations - can't say that they've restored stability to the Middle East. They have not effectively communicated their position on energy  which I think is kind of a key to the  Trump  strategy. But I do think there's something very powerful going on there.
KELLY: Stay with energy for a second. Why do you think that's key  and how does  the Trump administration's policies on energy  perhaps play out and change the way that  it 's interacting with the rest of the world?
MEAD: I think for  Trump   the idea that America's newfound energy wealth - unconventional hydrocarbons  natural gas  so on - is changing the rules of world politics. It's reduced Russia's power. It's created an internal crisis in Iran. It is forcing Saudi Arabia in a way none of us have ever seen to rethink some of their basic assumptions. So to the extent that there is kind of a central vision in the Trump administration  I think it is this idea that America's energy dominance can be a positive force in the world  and that's something they want to work toward.
KELLY: Well  this speaks to the next thing I wanted to ask you  which is  how much has actually changed? We see a lot of rhetoric coming out of this White House. President  Trump   for example  threatens to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.  He  walks right up to the line but so far hasn't stepped over it.
MEAD: Yeah. You don't - you can't turn it on the dot. In  the Trump administration 's case  I think  they  haven't appointed all of the officials that  they  would need to retool the government. So we're still operating  you know  on old hardware  so to speak.
How U.S. Foreign Policy Has Changed In  Trump 's First Year In Office
As the end of  President Trump 's first year in office approaches  NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Walter Russell Mead  a professor of foreign affairs at Bard College and former editor of The American Interest  about how U.S. foreign policy has changed during Trump's term.
This Saturday marks the end of  President Trump 's first year in office  and we wanted to take stock of a promise he made back on his very first day about how he planned to carry out foreign policy.
 [TGT] : From this day forward  it's going to be only America First  America First.
KELLY: [TGT] appears to be less comfortable dealing with America's traditional allies - you can look at some European leaders  for example - than with authoritarian regimes. And I wonder  A  would you agree with that? B  is it a problem?
MEAD: I think we have to limit that and say [TGT]'s less comfortable with European allies. Part of it is that the European Union is sort of ideologically committed to an idea of a liberal world order where the rule of law is paramount  democratic peace theory and so on. And it's not I think so much that  [TGT]  hates democracy but that  [TGT]doesn't believe that you can actually build a stable world on these foundations.
KELLY: What about what's been perhaps  his  most closely watched personal relationship? And I'm referring to  his  relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Have you been able to figure it out?
MEAD: That is  under [TGT]U.S. policy is almost as anti-Russian as it can be at the strategic level. So modernize and rebuild your nuclear forces. Increase your military spending  forcing Russia either to compete in a league that it can't afford or to drop back.
But at the same time   [TGT]  possibly like other American presidents   has overestimated the role of atmospherics and had hoped to still have good relations with Russia even as  he  was taking a wrecking ball to the foundations of Russian power.
MEAD: ...Who were the two most important partners for us in Asia and  therefore  I think in the world. They have done a reasonable though not a great job working past some of the issues in U.S.-European relations - can't say that they've restored stability to the Middle East. They have not effectively communicated their position on energy  which I think is kind of a key to the  [TGT]  strategy. But I do think there's something very powerful going on there.
KELLY: Stay with energy for a second. Why do you think that's key  and how does  the [TGT] administration's policies on energy  perhaps play out and change the way that  it 's interacting with the rest of the world?
MEAD: I think for  Trump   the idea that America's newfound energy wealth - unconventional hydrocarbons  natural gas  so on - is changing the rules of world politics. It's reduced Russia's power. It's created an internal crisis in Iran. It is forcing Saudi Arabia in a way none of us have ever seen to rethink some of their basic assumptions. So to the extent that there is kind of a central vision in the Trump administration  I think it is this idea that America's energy dominance can be a positive force in the world  and that's something they want to work toward.
KELLY: Well  this speaks to the next thing I wanted to ask you  which is  how much has actually changed? We see a lot of rhetoric coming out of this White House. [TGT]threatens to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.  [TGT]  walks right up to the line but so far hasn't stepped over it.
MEAD: Yeah. You don't - you can't turn it on the dot. In  [TGT] 's case  I think  [TGT]  haven't appointed all of the officials that  [TGT]  would need to retool the government. So we're still operating  you know  on old hardware  so to speak.