The President’s Inbox

America at 250: The Best and Worst U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions, With Mary Dudziak and Christopher Nichols

Jan 21, 2026
Historian Christopher Nichols, an expert in U.S. foreign relations, and law professor Mary Dudziak, known for her work on civil rights and foreign policy, share insights on a recent survey of historians evaluating U.S. foreign policy decisions. They dissect the top ten best and worst decisions, revealing the complexities of multilateralism versus unilateralism. Dudziak connects domestic racism with Cold War diplomacy, while Nichols explains the implications of the Treaty of Alliance with France. Their discussion offers valuable lessons from history to inform today’s policy.
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INSIGHT

Mid‑Century Multilateral Vision Wins Out

  • Post‑WWII multilateral institutions like the Marshall Plan and UN created an order that benefited U.S. interests and global stability.
  • Christopher Nichols shows historians ranked these mid‑century multilateral steps as the most consequential positive decisions.
INSIGHT

Unilateralism Often Equals Failure

  • Unilateral, interventionist moves often appear among the worst decisions, from Vietnam to the 2003 Iraq invasion.
  • Mary L. Dudziak and Christopher Nichols contrast these with multilateral successes to show a clear pattern.
INSIGHT

Legal Reclassification Enabled Removal

  • Treating Native American policy as domestic rather than foreign shifted legal status and enabled dispossession.
  • Christopher Nichols explains Marshall Court rulings reframed tribes as "domestic dependent nations," enabling removal policies.
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