ECLIPSED BY RUSSIA: TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS

摘要

Barely a day passed in Donald Trump's first 100 days without Russia dominating the headlines. While campaigning, Trump expressed admiration for President Putin, promising he would succeed in befriending the Kremlin where Barack Obama had failed. This promise now looks set to define Trump's presidency. The extensive network linking his associates and administration to Russia has created a different kind of swamp than the one he pledged to cleaning up in Washington. This intervention considers what this means for Trump's foreign and security policy and for those external actors for which Russia is a key actor. For Syria and Ukraine respectively, there is little hope the United States is able and willing to play a pivotal role in ending their conflicts. Trump's campaign rhetoric gave European allies reason to doubt Obama's commitment to defend them against a possible Russian threat would be matched by Trump; the first 100 days gave no cause to rethink that. While many 'America First' promises are being kept, any predictability is heavily undermined by a sense Trump does not understand what the USA's interests are, nor how foreign relations can rebound on those at home. The Russia controversy has damaged the US reputation, weakening it on the world stage, a worrying development for those who have so far cleaved to the US-led liberal world order. In reflecting on Trump's first 100 days and Russia, it is worth scrutinising his key foreign and security appointments and effects on the US reputation.