The DSR Network Need to Know: You Can't Tell America's Global Crises Without a Scorecard
Jan 22, 2026
Stephen Walt, the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations at Harvard, joins David Rothkopf to dissect Trump's foreign policy record. Walt argues that Trump's interest in Greenland signals psychological issues rather than strategic thinking. He critiques the administration's tactics of distraction and calls out the limits of military action in places like Iran and Venezuela. Walt offers a critical view on U.S. global leadership, cautioning against a withdrawal that may empower other nations. Yet, he finds hope in increasing public resistance to the administration's approach.
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Greenland Move Is Psychologically Driven
- Stephen Walt argues Trump's Greenland push has no strategic or economic rationale and mainly fulfills a personal psychological desire to "own" things.
- Walt warns the move risks serious damage to transatlantic relations and NATO cohesion.
Flooding The Zone As A Strategy
- Walt describes Trump's strategy of flooding the zone with outrageous acts to distract critics and exploit short media attention spans.
- He warns this tactic deliberately overwhelms opponents so battles never coalesce around any single outrage.
Venezuela Action Was Geopolitical Signaling
- Walt says the U.S. Venezuela operation wasn't about drugs, democracy, or viable oil economics but about projecting hemispheric dominance.
- He argues the effort risks alienating Latin America by trying to block Chinese economic ties.