A Populist Foreign Policy? The Impact of the Trump Presidency on the Transatlantic Relation
| DOI | 10.1177/00208817221085423 |
| Author | Pablo Bustinduy |
| Date | 01 January 2022 |
| Published date | 01 January 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Research Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/00208817221085423
International Studies
59 (1) 28 –42, 2022
© 2022 Jawaharlal Nehru University
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DOI: 10.1177/00208817221085423
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Research Article
A Populist Foreign
Policy? The Impact of
the Trump Presidency
on the Transatlantic
Relation
Pablo Bustinduy1
Abstract
In recent years, a considerable attention has been paid to changes introduced
by the Trump administration in the general orientation of the US foreign policy.
Using the transatlantic relation as a prism for analysis, this article assesses
different interpretations of rupture and continuity in Trump’s foreign policy.
It does so by distinguishing two main theories of populism, as a political style and
as a political logic, from which derive very different implications for the analysis
of Trump’s foreign policy legacy, the future of the transatlantic relation and the
plausibility of a ‘return to normalcy’ at a time of deep crisis of globalization.
Keywords
Transatlantic relations, foreign policy, Trump, populism, globalization
Introduction
The reorientation of US attitude with respect to Europe generally stands out as
one of the most salient elements of rupture in the foreign policy of the Trump
administration. Disagreements and political confrontation with European leaders
on matters such as trade relations, Brexit, military spending and the role of North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) made the break with an established
diplomatic tradition that has long considered the transatlantic alliance an essential
pillar of the US grand strategy especially visible. Consistently through his
presidency, Donald Trump questioned the viability and values of the European
Union (EU), raised doubts about its loyalty to the USA and systematically
1 Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
Corresponding author:
Pablo Bustinduy, Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, MI 20122,
Italy.
E-mail: pablobustinduy@gmail.com
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