DRIFTING HEGEMONY: TOWARD A NEW U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Author: Bernard Rowan

ABSTRACT

The United States has entered a phase of drifting hegemony. Under the second Trump administration, the vision of “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) and “America First” is a poor fit with the emerging bipolar global system. U.S. foreign policy today is characterized by inconsistent isolationist and interventionist tactics, alongside a divided political culture. Allies begin to doubt U.S. credibility in the era of tariff threats and situational military interventions. There is insufficient attention to the impacts for the post-neoliberal world and U.S. interests in it. U.S. public opinion is fascinated by billionaires, despite a continued and deepening income and wealth gap. The mindset of Trump and most U.S. billionaires instrumentalizes public opinion and action to extend the interests of the wealthy. U.S. soft power is declining relative to other nations. Sustained efforts by the political opposition and the U.S. public should be made to reinvigorate elements of a more responsible U.S. foreign policy.

Keywords: American foreign policy, Trump, plutocracy, MAGA, soft power

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