Robert Wright's Nonzero The Trump Foreign Policy Roller Coaster (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)
Jan 23, 2026
In this insightful discussion, political analyst Derek Davison and international relations expert Daniel Bessner dive into the complexities of Trump’s foreign policy. They explore whether Trump is a symptom of broader global disorder and debate the implications of his perceived instability. The conversation touches on missed opportunities for institutional planning since the 1990s and critiques the Democrats for their lack of a coherent foreign policy stance. They also analyze how recent actions in Venezuela signal a bold, norm-defying approach to international relations.
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Tectonic Shifts Matter As Much As Trump
- Structural global shifts (China's rise, Europe's security gap, post-war order erosion) matter as much as Trump himself.
- Trump's behavior exploited intellectual inertia in foreign policy institutions unprepared for those tectonic changes.
Institutionalize Power During Unipolar Moments
- Strengthen international institutions during unipolar moments to lock in rules and reduce reliance on raw U.S. power.
- Institutionalize norms through the U.N. and similar bodies to make the system resilient to future power shifts.
Make Rules Stronger Than Might
- A rules-based order would make power transitions less violent by making rules matter more than might.
- Nourishing the U.N. and resisting unilateral interventions could have reduced future invasions like Ukraine.
