Entering into the Era of the Unknown

What we know: Trump loves Putin, China is moving to take advantage of America’s non-strategy in Asia, and the rest? We’re still not sure.

On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."

On this week’s episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Kori Schake, Julia Ioffe, and David Sanger envision a world where Donald Trump’s foreign policy emboldens Russia, China, and other wannabe world superpowers. It’s not fantasy.

On this week’s episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Kori Schake, Julia Ioffe, and David Sanger envision a world where Donald Trump’s foreign policy emboldens Russia, China, and other wannabe world superpowers. It’s not fantasy.

Trump’s affection toward Putin is no secret. But now that he is actually the president-elect of the United States — and continues to flaunt his fondness of Russia’s autocrat — how much damage could this actually do to our standing on the international stage, our reputation, and our relationships with allies? Like most of Trump’s rhetoric, his stances on foreign policy could very likely change overnight, so it is almost impossible to know how exactly this will all play out.

The E.R. team takes listeners on a tour through the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, and asks how the incoming administration’s strategy (or lack thereof) will affect not only U.S. foreign policy but also that of allies and partners. Europe, it seems, is heading toward a path of self-destruction; China is showing the first rumblings of taking advantage of an inexperienced president; and the Middle East is torn over whether Trump’s policies will benefit or keep them at a disadvantage.

Julia Ioffe is a Voices columnist at FP and a contributing writer for Politico and Highline. Follow her on Twitter at: @juliaioffe.

David Sanger is the national security correspondent for the New York Times and author of Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power. Follow him on Twitter at: @SangerNYT.

Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter at: @KoriSchake.

David Rothkopf is the CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter at: @djrothkopf.

Subscribe to FP’s The E.R. and Global Thinkers podcasts on iTunes.

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