Ever since President Donald Trump rode down the golden escalator at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015, to kick off his first presidential campaign, analysts have been trying to decipher whether he has a coherent foreign policy. One decade later, people are still asking the same question.
Trump’s approach in the Western Hemisphere is proving to be the exception. Remove the personality conflicts and rhetorical swipes against some Latin American leaders and what you essentially have a hybrid between the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and the 1904 Roosevelt Corollary. The goal is the same today as it was back then: preserve U.S. dominance by preventing great power adversaries from meddling in America’s sphere of influence.
The big difference is that whereas past U.S. administrations went through the motions of justifying their actions on the grounds of defending democracy or enhancing stability, Trump is unapologetically motivated by power. Whether a country has a questionable human rights record or shoddy democratic practices is insignificant so long as it follows Washington’s lead on the big geopolitical issues.
In short, with respect to America’s near-abroad, Trump is a classic primacist. In this view, the United States has the right and obligation to throw its weight around to keep itself on top of the pecking order. Adversaries like Cuba and Venezuela are to be slayed with sanctions and threats of military force; allies like Canada are to be pressured into submission; and partners like Brazil and Mexico are expected to cater to U.S. demands irrespective of their own domestic politics or national security interests. Leaders who cooperate get rewarded with Oval Office visits and hefty loans; those who don’t get punished.
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