As Americans chose their next president, the entire world was watching. The United States has long been seen as a global leader and its President as "the leader of the free world," but President Trump bucked the tradition of internationalism and took an "America-first" approach to foreign policy instead.
Trump made several moves throughout his term that had global implications, like leaving the Paris Climate Accord and terminating the U.S.' relationship with the World Health Organization. Critics say this was an abdication of global responsibilities, while supporters applaud the Trump administration's efforts to "shake the rust off America's foreign policy."
How much has U.S. foreign policy changed in the last four years and what are the short- and long-term implications? What has the fraying of global alliances and agreements meant for America's place on the world stage?
What are the United States' most pressing foreign policy issues now? What diplomatic challenges and opportunities await the next President? How will the Biden administration's approach to global issues and alliances differ from Trump's?
Guests:
- U.S. House Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democratic representative for Texas' 20th congressional district and vice chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee
- Rebecca Lissner, non-resident scholar at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies and co-author of "An Open World: How America Can Win The Contest for 21st-Century Order"
- George Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame
- Jim Steinberg, professor of Social Science, International Affairs and Law at Syracuse University, former deputy secretary of state under Obama and deputy national security advisor to the Clinton administration, and former director of Foreign Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution
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*This interview was recorded on Tuesday, December 8.