In light of the upcoming election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the presidential candidates from both major political parties, have promulgated their positions on foreign policy. They have different views on various issues, such as climate change, trade deals and cooperation with other countries. From realism to neo-Marxism, there are many contending theories on international relations, and the candidates’ policy can be interpreted through the different lenses.
There are several principal theories of international relations that prove useful in evaluating foreign policies. Realism, mainly contrasted with liberalism, focuses on the conflicts of world politics. The principal actors that shape the policy decisions around the world are nations …show more content…
First, he calls for increased U.S. military presence in and around the South China Sea. From a realist perspective, this is a direct response to the rising power of China that Trump perceives as a serious threat to the U.S. national security and that should be dealt militarily. In a neo-realist perspective, if China becomes a dominant power in Asia and wields commensurate power around the world as the U.S., the U.S. cannot appeal to the higher authority to settle disputes with China effectively. Therefore, it follows that the U.S. contains China in check militarily as soon as possible. Although more extreme than that of Clinton, Trump also supports military campaigns against the Islamic State for national security. Overall, Trump exhibits little liberalism and neo-liberalism. For example, he opposes the effectiveness of NATO and opposes the Paris climate deal. Working towards such common goals and collective security with influential actors on the global stage is not his foreign policy. Rather, he favors developing energy independence with carelessness towards global cooperation and withdrawing supporting troops from allies like South Korea to cut down on the military budget. Neo-Marxism of Trump can be best shown through his position on the Chinese currency. He proposed to designate China as a currency manipulator …show more content…
Although every foreign policy cannot unequivocally categorized as an argument from one distinctive school of thought, from realism to neo-Marxism, their views on various issues, such as ISIS, trade with China, and climate change, can be interpreted as discussed
There are several principal theories of international relations that prove useful in evaluating foreign policies. Realism, mainly contrasted with liberalism, focuses on the conflicts of world politics. The principal actors that shape the policy decisions around the world are nations …show more content…
First, he calls for increased U.S. military presence in and around the South China Sea. From a realist perspective, this is a direct response to the rising power of China that Trump perceives as a serious threat to the U.S. national security and that should be dealt militarily. In a neo-realist perspective, if China becomes a dominant power in Asia and wields commensurate power around the world as the U.S., the U.S. cannot appeal to the higher authority to settle disputes with China effectively. Therefore, it follows that the U.S. contains China in check militarily as soon as possible. Although more extreme than that of Clinton, Trump also supports military campaigns against the Islamic State for national security. Overall, Trump exhibits little liberalism and neo-liberalism. For example, he opposes the effectiveness of NATO and opposes the Paris climate deal. Working towards such common goals and collective security with influential actors on the global stage is not his foreign policy. Rather, he favors developing energy independence with carelessness towards global cooperation and withdrawing supporting troops from allies like South Korea to cut down on the military budget. Neo-Marxism of Trump can be best shown through his position on the Chinese currency. He proposed to designate China as a currency manipulator …show more content…
Although every foreign policy cannot unequivocally categorized as an argument from one distinctive school of thought, from realism to neo-Marxism, their views on various issues, such as ISIS, trade with China, and climate change, can be interpreted as discussed