America's Foreign Policy Shift

In his first 100 days since taking office, US President Donald Trump has dramatically refashioned US foreign policy. From the introduction of sweeping new tariffs to a rapprochement with Russia, Trump has broken sharply with his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. The Trump administration is stress-testing longstanding pillars of US foreign policy, rolling back support to Ukraine, widening a rift with Europe and putting traditional allies on notice.

At stake is more than a policy shift. Trump is also presiding over a massive revamp of the US government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged to overhaul the way America conducts diplomacy. Trump's Pentagon is weighing options to change the US military footprint in Europe. And the Trump administration has moved to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, for decades a potent symbol of American soft power.

Are we witnessing a fundamental shift in how America interacts with the world? Does Trump's America-first approach mean a retreat from global US leadership? Or are domestic political dynamics shaping America’s priorities abroad? The contours of a new US foreign policy are only beginning to become clear, but these questions matter for both US and international audiences.

This is a series of three interviews RFE/RL is conducting with global thinkers offering different perspectives on what we have learned from the first 100 days of Trump's second term. The aim is to provide insight into how the Trump administration is approaching some of the most challenging issues for Europe and the wider region since the end of the Second World War: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a heightened confrontation between Russia and the West, and rising tides of disinformation.