The Trump Presidency
Cracks in walls and Trump’s border with Mexico
The political cracks are widening in Washington, as US President Donald Trump struggles to fulfill his 2016 presidential campaign pledge to build a wall at the US southern border…
Was Jim Mattis really the “last adult in the room”?
US Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned. And yes, I use that term advisedly, because even though President Donald Trump is tweeting about Mattis’ “retirement”, it’s pretty…
“America First” and global economic governance
President Donald Trump’s stated objective is “America first”. What might this isolationist mantra mean for global economic governance, which is the economic component of the …
The prospect of a “Trumpier” foreign policy
Donald Trump came to office with a more coherent worldview than other recent American presidents. For decades, he has held four core beliefs about the world.
First, Trump scoffs…
US midterms: the no-joke elections
The US midterm results are rolling in. The House of Representatives appears to have fallen under Democrat control, while former presidential candidate Mitt Romney has won himself…
The cliché is true: this is the most important US midterm, ever
One of the worst clichés of US politics is that the next election is the most important ever/in your lifetime/in recent history, and so on.
When I worked in US politics in the…
America First, in space
Over the past few months, US President Donald Trump has seemed infatuated with outer space. He and Vice President Mike Pence have made grandiose announcements about US space…
Iran’s May Day
The deadline looms for the Iran nuclear deal. US President Donald Trump will have to decide by 12 May whether to continue to waive sanctions against Iran under the Joint…
What to expect from John Bolton at the White House
President Donald Trump’s announcement that former UN Ambassador John Bolton will be the new US National Security Advisor will send tremors through some allied capitals. But…