Description
Book SynopsisOn November 8, 2016, Donald Trump won the American presidential election, to the surprise of many across the globe. Now that Trump is Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful country on earth, Americans and non-Americans alike have been left wondering what this will mean for the world. It has been claimed that Trump's foreign policy views are impulsive, inconsistent and that they were improvised on the campaign trail. However, drawing on interviews from as far back as 1980, Charlie Laderman and Brendan Simms show that this assumption is dangerously false. They reveal that Trump has had a consistent position on international trade and America's alliances since he first considered running for president in the late 1980s. Furthermore, his foreign policy views have deep roots in American history. For the new President, almost every international problem that has confronted the United States can be explained by the mistakes of its leaders. Yet, after decades of dismissing America's leaders as fools and denouncing their diplomacy, Trump must now prove that he can do better.Over the past three decades, he has been laying out in interviews, articles, books and tweets what amounts to a foreign policy philosophy. This book reveals the world view that Trump brings to the Oval Office. It shows how that world view was formed, what might result if it is applied in policy terms and the potential consequences for the rest of the world.
Trade Review'The unthinkable has happened: Donald Trump is now President of the United States. We can condemn, dismiss, and ridicule him. But it makes more sense to understand him. This short book uses his lifeworld and his own language to do so, and offers an insightful and compelling account of his world view, and especially his view of foreign affairs. For anybody who wants to know what makes Trump tick and how he is likely to behave this is an absolutely must read.' - Richard Ned Lebow, James O. Freedman Presidential Professor Emeritus of Government, Dartmouth College, 'This book does a great service in identifying the genesis of President Trump's worldview, based on his words, and considering its likely impact on the future of American foreign policy and the western alliance.' - Professor John Bew, author of Realpolitik: A History, 'In this insightful study, Laderman and Simms expose the contours of Donald Trump's thinking on foreign policy and explore its roots in US history since 1945. This book refutes the widespread view that Trump can simply be dismissed as an improviser and a showman. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Trump presidency and what it means for the rest of us.' - Sir Christopher Clark, author of Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, 'Highly recommend this study of the development of Trump's foreign policy world view... Instant and powerful illumination!' - Adam Tooze, author of The Deluge: The Great War and the Remaking of Global Order, 'The historians Charlie Laderman and Brendan Simms show in a new book, since the 1980s Trump has developed a consistent worldview. It is highly critical of the dominant US global strategy since 1945 of building and maintaining a liberal capitalist international order'. - Alex Callinicos, Socialist Worker, 'The most comprehensive account yet of Trump's thinking over the years.' - Paul D. Miller, American Interest
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction – Playing the Fool Imperial Overstretch: The Intellectual Roots of Trumpism Abroad Novice: Wealth and the Nation: 1980-2000 Apprentice: Protecting the nation, 2001-2014 Candidate and President, 2015-2017
