An Optimist’s Guide to Donald Trump’s World Order

An Optimist’s Guide to Donald Trump’s World Order
President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, N.J., Nov. 20, 2016 (AP photo by Carolyn Kaster).

Is it time to be optimistic about Donald Trump? Since Trump won the U.S. presidential election, liberal foreign policy commentators have split into two camps. Some have stuck to their pre-electoral stances that Trump’s election could signal the implosion of American power and principles. Others have started to reassess their views, resulting in a spate of think pieces explaining why the next president-elect could prove a moderate pragmatist in office.

I made my own minor contribution to this somewhat spineless school of literature last week, arguing that Trump could come to recognize the value of United Nations mediators and peacekeepers. This is a defensible argument, but it is hard to deny that it was rooted in a curious mix of forlorn hopes and a lack of imagination.

As someone who has worked on the U.N. for over a decade—and who, despite that, still likes the institution—I naturally hope that it will navigate the looming Trump era without too much damage. Having tracked the ups and downs of blue-helmet operations for so long, I am also at risk of assuming that U.N. forces will keep on policing troubled states more or less indefinitely, however the broader strategic picture alters.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review