Political risk analyst Ian Bremmer argues that the greatest driver of global instability today is President Trump himself, pointing to an incoherent U.S. foreign policy that leaves allies and adversaries alike uncertain of American intentions.
In a recent interview, Bremmer highlighted two dominant yet contradictory foreign policy stories: the conflict with Iran and the much-anticipated summit between President Trump and China's Xi Jinping. He asserts that U.S. foreign policy has entered a period of "absolute and complete incoherence."
"Donald Trump said the point of the war with Iran was to end the threat of the Iranian regime and forever end their capability to get nuclear weapons," Bremmer noted. "Now, looking at what's being considered, it appears neither policy is going to be achieved. So what are we doing there? What are we trying to achieve?"
Similarly, Trump has long been committed to changing America's relationship with China, accusing Beijing of economic exploitation. Yet, Bremmer questions whether current policies are actually containing China or moving in the opposite direction.
"There is much I disagree with in Donald Trump's foreign policy, but at the moment, it's not clear what it is," Bremmer said. "It's not clear what he is trying to achieve or what he is simply settling for or reacting to."
Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and author of "Every Nation for Itself," views Trump as both a symptom and a cause of deeper trends. He described Trump as a driver of a political revolution akin to Franklin D. Roosevelt's—but with vastly different goals.
"FDR was the last president truly interested in upending checks and balances on the executive and transforming U.S. power," Bremmer explained. "Now, President Trump is driving his own revolution, attempting every day to end established norms."
While some structural shifts—like moving away from free trade and open borders—were already underway before Trump, Bremmer warned that Trump's personal vanity often overrides national interest, citing the bizarre Greenland purchase proposal as an example.
"That was purely vainglorious on the part of the U.S. president to put his name and flag on a territory with some of America's strongest alliances," Bremmer added.
The full discussion delved into how Trump's approach is reshaping America's role in the world, leaving allies uncertain and rivals probing for weakness.