The Populist Surge and the Rebirth of Foreign Policy Nationalism

Donald Trump's victory highlighted the growing strength of a populist brand of nationalism in the United States. He stressed the themes of economic protectionism, the need for greater burden sharing in Washington's security alliances, and a much tighter immigration policy. Both during the campaign and since entering the Oval Office, Trump embraced the label of "America First," explaining that his administration's top priority would be to defend and advance America's national interests, rather than promoting the interests of allies or abstract global values. It remains to be seen just how nationalistic, perhaps even insular, U.S. foreign policy will become under a Trump administration, but at the least, it will be more demanding of allies, trading partners, and other powers in the international system. However, U.S. policymakers will have to contend with a growing populist nationalism in other countries as well. The spread of such sentiments is likely to make international cooperation much more difficult, except on narrow issues where the national interests of various nations overlap greatly. The coming years will, therefore, more closely resemble the international system of the 19th and early 20th centuries than the system that has existed since the end of World War II.