On Wednesday, April 2, over 60 faculty, staff, and students attended a faculty panel on “American Foreign Politics and World Politics in a Rapidly Evolving World.” Panelists included Dr. Tom Doyle, Dr. Ed Mihalkanin, Dr. Ionuț Popescu, and Dr. Franzi Newell.
Dr. Doyle opened with a discussion of American foreign policy from 1945-2025 pre-inauguration of President Donald Trump. This was characterized by the U.S. and its allies committing to a “liberal international order” with international laws, norms, institutions, and free trade. Goals were containing authoritarianism, defending democracy, nuclear arms control, and balancing a rising China and a reactionary Russia. Discussion then shifted to a comparison of foreign policy under President Trump. This has been characterized by a withdrawal from the liberal international order, increasing partisanship on foreign policy, and a shift to bilateral transactionalism and economic protectionism. Each panelist was able to share their views on the current changes to foreign policy approaches brought about by the new administration. Drawing on research from his new book (No Peer Rivals), Dr. Popescu argued the Trump administration is pursuing a successful realist grand strategy combining hard power with economic measures to reduce the deficit and counter the rise of China as a superpower rival to the United States. Dr. Mihalkanin, on the contrary, argued that Trump’s approach will likely lead to bad outcomes and a loss of US prestige around the world. Similarly, Dr. Newell warned against the risk of alienating US allies and of cutting foreign aid programs.
Student questions centered around the U.S.’ role in Ukraine, the risks of nuclear warfare, the future of the U.S. domestically and globally, and the controversy surrounding certain executive orders.
