US foreign affairs and the North American neighbourhood

The challenging future for restraint in US foreign policy

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There has been a growing debate over restraint in US foreign policy, fueled most recently by President Trump’s removal of troops from Syria last year. But, writes C. William Walldorf, Jr., those who wish to see more restraint in US foreign policy face domestic challenges: partisanship, and the need to be seen to be against the other side, the […]

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    Are US and Chinese leaders passing the stress test posed by the Covid-19 crisis? 

Are US and Chinese leaders passing the stress test posed by the Covid-19 crisis? 

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The Covid-19 pandemic has brought tensions between the US and China to the fore. In this interview, LSE US Centre Director Professor Peter Trubowitz comments that the crisis has reinforced the view that the US is too dependent on Chinese-based supply chains, and highlighted the United States’ lack of leadership in the world under President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.

Has the pandemic accelerated the breakdown of relations between the US […]

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    Book Review: Schism: China, America and the Fracturing of the Global Trading System by Paul Blustein

Book Review: Schism: China, America and the Fracturing of the Global Trading System by Paul Blustein

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In Schism: China, America and the Fracturing of the Global Trading System, Paul Blustein dives below the foam and froth of the China-US bilateral rivalry to craft a critical understanding of China and its impact on trade and the international order. The book is useful reading for those seeking to understand the ‘China Shock’ and the ensuing trade conflict between China and […]

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    The growing importance of the Indo-Pacific in the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategy 

The growing importance of the Indo-Pacific in the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategy 

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Donald Trump’s foreign policy philosophy and methods are a distinct departure from that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, with a new focus on how relationships with other countries can benefit the US. Oliver Turner and Inderjeet Parmar write that, driven by self-interest, Trump’s strategy seeks to counter the perceived threat of China by considering the Indo-Pacific region to be a coherent theatre where US influence can operate.

The Covid-19 global […]

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    The Trump vision and the Israelization of US Middle East policy

The Trump vision and the Israelization of US Middle East policy

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Last month President Trump unveiled his administration’s vision for Israeli-Palestinian peace, drafted without Palestinian involvement. Andrea Dessì writes that Trump’s vision is an outgrowth of the historically close US-Israeli coordination on Middle East policy that has developed since the late-1950s, becoming formalised and institutionalised via a series of unprecedented agreements signed during the Ronald Reagan Administration of the 1980s. […]

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    Book Review: Russia, BRICS and the Disruption of Global Order by Rachel S. Salzman

Book Review: Russia, BRICS and the Disruption of Global Order by Rachel S. Salzman

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In Russia, BRICS and the Disruption of Global Order, Rachel S. Salzman offers a new study that seeks to understand the driving forces behind the coalition that is BRICS – formed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa –  and dispel the misconceptions that surround it. The book sheds unique light upon this contested and under-researched group of nations and […]

Why the Trump Organization is a national security risk

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When he became President, Donald Trump broke with tradition by not divesting himself from his businesses and maintaining ownership of the Trump Organization. Jacob Parakilas writes that Trump’s continued involvement with the business that bears his name presents a distinct threat to national security. Any threat to the Organization, he argues, would throw US national security policymaking into disarray, […]

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    Trump’s ‘long-awaited’ Middle East peace deal is anything but

Trump’s ‘long-awaited’ Middle East peace deal is anything but

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This week President Trump announced a ‘long awaited’ peace deal for Israel and Palestine. Julie Norman argues that the deal is not about peace at all and has in fact long been underway. She writes that the deal, which splits up Palestinian territories, has been largely presented to Palestinians as an ultimatum, and is largely a step backwards for […]

Trump may seem crazy, but he is not (always) mad

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To many, President Trump seems to be a king of chaos – even more so following the US assassination of Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad at the beginning of the year. Inderjeet Parmar writes that despite this view, there is frequently more to the Trump administration’s actions than normally meets the eye. Chaos and madness even if only […]

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    The Ballpark Podcast Extra Innings: Why American foreign policy since the Cold War has been a failure with Stephen Walt

The Ballpark Podcast Extra Innings: Why American foreign policy since the Cold War has been a failure with Stephen Walt

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Your host Chris Gilson of the LSE US Centre is joined on this Extra Inning of the Ballpark by Professor Stephen Walt. In this interview, Chris and Professor Walt discuss the differences in US foreign policy between Presidents Trump and Obama.

They also discuss Professor Walt’s new book, The Hell of Good Intentions, and why he thinks American foreign policy […]

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