For the world at large, the reelection of Donald J. Trump as U.S. president poses questions. Mr. Trump served as America’s 45th president, was defeated in 2020 by current President Joe Biden, and has now re-emerged as the 47th president.
After winning the 2024 presidential election, many on the global stage are wondering what, if anything, will be on the horizon regarding U.S. foreign policy.
Several world leaders congratulated Mr. Trump on his victory on social media while others stated they looked forward to working with him. Positive remarks were expressed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Argentina President Javier Milei and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to NPR, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani of Iraq congratulated Mr. Trump and said he wanted to strengthen ties with the United States.
“Iraq reaffirms its steadfast commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the United States, grounded in mutual respect and shared interests,” he said in a statement, reported NPR. “And Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said he hopes the administration can ‘foster much needed stability and constructive dialogue in the region,’” npr.org noted.
Some say Mr. Trump’s politics are unorthodox and don’t fit the mold of a politician. However, considering his previous stint as president and his current rhetoric, Mr. Trump’s foreign policy is expected to be a distinction without a difference.
While an administration is changing with the transfer of power, the ways of America as the strongest military and economic power are not changing. Whether the ruling government is Republican or Democrat, as an empire that weighs heavy on the nations of the earth, it appears globally America remains viewed as “gangster.”
Observing Mr. Trump’s nominees for his new government, there are mixed feelings and controversy, particularly in National Security.
“You can tell from Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, that this is a very far-right extremist government that is coming into formation,” said Brian Becker, executive director of the Act Now to End War and Racism Coalition (ANSWER).
To name a few, so far Mr. Trump has tapped:
· John Ratcliffe to head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
· Former congresswoman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence
· Florida lawmaker Mike Waltz, as national security adviser
· Weekend Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary
· Florida Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State
· New York Senator Elise Stefanik as United Nations ambassador
· Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel
· Robert F. Kennedy was selected to lead the Department of Health and Human Services
“These are very far right,” said Mr. Becker, and “very pro-Israel, pro-war, militarists,” he added.
Trump 2.0 as some refer to his second go around as president comes with platform promises to “prevent World War III,” “restore peace in Europe” and “ restore peace in the Middle East.”
Domestically, the incoming administration vows to “build a great iron dome missile defense shield” over America. In immense global turmoil, Mr. Trump declared he would end the Israeli war on Gaza and the war in Ukraine.
Despite the stated intention, the website for the Republican platform says the plan is to “return Peace through Strength,” rebuild “our Military and Alliances,” revive America’s defense industrial base and build the military “bigger, better, and stronger” than ever before. This pledge is given, notwithstanding, that under Mr. Biden the 2024 defense budget is already at a record-breaking $842 billion.
“For anyone thinking that Donald Trump was going to move in a direction that was less war-like than the Biden-Harris administration, those people have been fooled.,” argued Mr. Becker.
If confirmed, some of the nominees have track records of warmongering. For example, if given America’s top diplomat post, Marco Rubio enters the door with a reputation as an “extreme right-wing militarist” with anti-China, Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela stances, Mr. Becker noted.
Some are seen as controversial. For instance, Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 presidential candidate, former Democratic congresswoman for Hawaii and now a Republican.
She is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq and has been critical of the foreign policy establishment and military interventions.
During a presidential debate in 2019, she argued the Democratic party “unfortunately, is not the party that is of, by and for the people,” but bound to Washington’s foreign policy establishment and military-industrial complex.
For Elise Stefanik, nominated as Ambassador to the United Nations, some expect her to continue the status quo where America brandishes its veto power in the Security Council—particularly on issues around Israeli accountability.
She has a history in the world of neo-conservative politics, once serving as a domestic policy aide in the George W. Bush administration. Furthermore, she was an outspoken counter-voice at December 2023 congressional hearings stemming from the anti-genocide and Gaza war demonstrations at U.S. colleges and universities.
“Stefanik is the same person who carried out that performative assault against university professors last year in front of Congress when she falsely alleged that college campuses had become the scene of violent anti-Jewish hate protests,” recalled Mr. Becker.
“When in fact the protests on college campuses were in support of the people of Palestine who are suffering the genocide. And many of those students who participated were Jewish themselves,” he added.
While Israel wages a multifront conflict in the region, Mike Huckabee, chosen for Israel’s Ambassadorship is a sign that America’s unwavering support for Israel could possibly be more extreme.
In an interview on the Fox network, Mr. Huckabee described Mr. Trump as a “new sheriff has come to town” and “This is the real deal” that “they are afraid of,” he said.
“I’m just ecstatic that he has asked me to be a part,” said the pro-Zionist ex-governor. The politician is a staunch advocate for the expansion of Jewish settlements into the Occupied West Bank, which U.S. policy and international law prohibit.
CNN.com reported Mr. Huckabee said in 2008: “Basically, there really is no such thing as—I need to be careful about saying this, because people will really get upset—there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian,” he said at a campaign stop in Massachusetts while speaking to two Orthodox Jewish men. “There’s not,” he added.
Many nations are assessing if Trump 2.0 is only a tweaked version of Trump 1.0, and a reflection of America’s errant foreign policy objectives. However, some leaders responded positively to his return, hoping to reset some relations tabled during the outgoing administration.
“Your historic return to the White House represents a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables to Trump hailing the “close relations between the two friendly countries and peoples,” reported the Middle East Eye.
For the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, there was a less enthusiastic reaction. They said in a statement their position depends on the Trump administration’s “stances and practical actions” towards the Palestinian people, their legitimate rights, and their cause.
“The elected U.S. President is urged to heed the voices that have risen from within American society itself for more than a year since the Zionist aggression on Gaza, rejecting occupation and genocide, and objecting to support and bias toward [Israel],” said the statement reported the Middle East Eye.
Concerning the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Trump expressed he will place moresanctions on Iran, media reports stated, picking up where he left off in 2020. On a Nov. 12 posting on the X platform, Iran’s foreign minister pressed the president-elect to adopt wisdom this time and not maximum pressure, which he said failed.
“Maximum Pressure 1.0 compelled ‘Maximum Resistance’ and ended in ‘Maximum Defeat’ for the U.S. The proof? One example: just compare Iran’s peaceful nuclear program before and after the so-called ‘Maximum Pressure’ policy,” posted Seyed Abbas Araghch.
“Attempting ‘Maximum Pressure 2.0’ will only result in ‘Maximum Defeat 2.0’. Better idea: try ‘Maximum Wisdom’—for the benefit of all,” he said.
