Francisco Rodríguez-Jiménez, faculty member, analyzes Trump’s foreign policy from “Soft power” approach in his article “Trump, o el John Wayne que algunos americanos llevan dentro (I)”, published by El Mundo.

“Of the various souls of American foreign policy through history, Trump would fit the “isolationist” well. He pretend to be a kind of modern John Wayne, defender of foreign threats; he’s convinced that his nation needs more tough boys and fewer thinkers. What, then, has moved Trump to leave his supremacist ranch? Besides domestic political explanations, the surprise attack on Syria might be read another way: a small gesture of good will towards Europe, a pinch of “Soft power.” Is it better for Trump to ingratiate himself with old NATO allies than to engage in these erratic geopolitical flirtations with Russia and China? A friendly wink after the debacle with Merkel at the White House? The enthusiastic words of the President of the European Union, Donald Tusk, would support this interpretation. The United States attacks, Tusk said, show the necessary determination against barbaric chemical attacks. Are we seeing a redux of “Empire by Invitation” (Lundestad), when a good part of ravaged Europe of 1945 looked to the United States for leadership?”.

We invite you to read the full article in El Mundo.