J298 The Trump Revolution in Foreign Affairs

Not the least consequential of President Donald J. Trump’s myriad feats is ending the bipartisan consensus on American foreign policy that has endured for eight decades. Since shortly after World War II ended in 1945, the United States built its international power on alliances which had wartime foes at their heart: In Europe, an American-occupied Germany anchored the North American Treaty Organization. In Asia, Japan hosted the American Seventh Fleet — and the US Marines. Decade after decade, as Republican followed Democrat in the White House, they cultivated and grew these alliances as the key underpinning of American power — until Donald Trump. With his brash self-assurance and proud ignorance of history and precedent, President Trump is gleefully dismantling the partnerships that his predecessors constructed and busily replacing them with… what? Well, that — like so much else with Trump — remains unclear. Whatever it is, it is transactional, aggressive and, up to now, deeply improvisational. In this seminar, we will follow Trump’s slapdash revolution by debating the moves amd feints Trump is making day by day, by analyzing how they are covered and by putting ourselves in the position of editors and reporters who have the duty to bring the Trumpian insurrection before the eyes of the public. Our aim: to learn about foreign policy and how to cover it in the unprecedented Age of Trump.