Abstract
Voters in the 2016 Presidential election face an unconventional choice. Long gone are the tried and true foreign policy positions voters could count on from Democratic and Republican candidates. In their place are two candidates who represent something different to the electorate. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed a foreign policy vision that embraces a pro-military, muscular approach to the national security challenges the US faces. Far from a progressive set of policies, Clinton has taken positions GOPers can embrace. For his part, Donald Trump has no significant foreign policy experience and has articulated a world view that represents a break with American foreign policy orthodoxy and historic Republican positions. In the pages that follow, the reader will see in clear terms the foreign policy choices they have between Clinton and Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
“Hard power” refers to the use of coercion to achieve political goals. “Soft power” refers to the use of non-coercive resources such as diplomacy, economics, culture and history to achieve political goals. For more about both “hard power” and “soft power” see Joseph Nye Jr., Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. New York: Public Affairs, 2005.
“Hillary Rodham’s 1969 Commencement Address,” CBS News, November 3, 2007, accessed May 28, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-rodhams-1969-commencement-address/.
Mark Landler, “How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk,” New York Times Magazine, April 21, 2016, accessed May 28, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/magazine/how-hillary-clinton-became-a-hawk.html?_r=0.
Michael Hastings, “The Runaway General,” Rolling Stone, June 22, 2010, accessed June 1, 2016, http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-runaway-general-20100622?page=3.
Michael Crowley, “Hillary Clinton’s Unapologetically Hawkish Record Faces 2016 Test,” Time, January 14, 2014, accessed June 1, 2016, http://swampland.time.com/2014/01/14/hillary-clintons-unapologetically-hawkish-record-faces-2016-test/.
Landler, “How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk.”
Hilary Clinton, “TRANSCRIPT: Hillary Clinton Delivers Major National Security Address,” Hillary Clinton for President Official Website, June 2, 2016, accessed June 8, 2016, https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/statements/2016/06/02/transcript-hillary-clinton-delivers-major-national-security-address/.
Demetri Sevastopulo and Geoff Dyer, “Trump Brands NATO ‘Obsolete’ Ahead of Tough Wisconsin Primary,” Financial Times, April 3, 2016, accessed June 2, 2016, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0f397616-f9b8-11e5-8e04-8600cef2ca75.html#axzz4C1go2YzQ.
Colum Lynch, “Fearing Trump, U.N. Embraces Art of the Deal,” Foreign Policy, March 28, 2016, accessed June 2, 2016, http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/28/fearing-trump-u-n-embraces-the-art-of-the-deal/.
Followers of the Realist school of thought include individuals like Niccolo Machiavelli, Hans Morgenthau, Carl von Clausewitz, Thomas Hobbes, and Henry Kissinger. Realism advocates a self-help approach to international relations in which the accumulation of power is the ultimate guardian of national interests.
Donald J. Trump, “Foreign Policy Speech,” Trump for President Official Website, April 27, 2016, accessed May 30, 2016, https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-foreign-policy-speech.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lesperance, W.F. American Foreign Policy and the 2016 Presidential Election. Soc 53, 498–502 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-016-0056-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-016-0056-y