Foreign Policy Priorities for the Trump Administration
USIP Experts on Afghanistan, State Fragility, Nigeria and the Middle East
As Donald J. Trump prepares for his inauguration as president on Jan. 20, he and his incoming foreign policy team face the full array of global challenges confronting the United States. They’ll have to determine what should demand their immediate attention and where strategic investments might pay big dividends. In this series of brief video interviews, four U.S. Institute of Peace experts offer their recommendations. They spoke ahead of USIP’s Passing the Baton conference, which will convene Cabinet-level and other senior foreign policy and national security figures from the outgoing and incoming administrations for meetings on January 9 and 10.
![Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn introduces Donald Trump at a campaign event in Bedford, N.H., Sept. 29, 2016. Flynn -- Trump's pick for national security adviser -- had a brilliant military career, but turned out to be a catastrophic manager and is today regarded by foreign policy specialists from across the political spectrum as a kook, Nicholas Kristof writes. (Damon Winter/The New York Times)](/sites/default/files/styles/image_with_caption/public/2017-01/20170123-KRISTOF_COLUMN.jpg?itok=sW0wOOz5)
Passing the Baton also will feature top officials from previous administrations, as well as thought leaders and other foreign policy experts. Join the conversation on Tuesday, Jan. 10, with the webcast of Passing the Baton and on Twitter at #PassingTheBaton.
- Scott Worden, director of Afghanistan and Central Asia programs, says that the best way to protect American interests in Afghanistan is to stay committed to civilian and military assistance over time.
- Susan Stigant, director of Africa Programs, urges attention to Nigeria, the continent’s largest nation and second-biggest economy.
- Carla Koppell, the USIP vice president in charge of the Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, makes the case for addressing fragile states.
- Manal Omar, associate vice president of the Center for Middle East and Africa, argues that a combined top-down, bottom-up approach can resolve conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.