By Prof. Dr Bertrand Ramcharan
Former Fellow of Harvard and the LSE. Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana
On 6 January, 2025, the US Congress certified the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA and he will be inaugurated on 20 January along with his Vice-President, J.D. Vance. What will America’s future role in the world be in a second Trump Administration?
Writing in the Washington Post on 5 January, veteran Post columnist Dan Balz pointed out that, this time around, Trump faces a more chaotic and perilous word than he did in his first Presidency. One of the biggest changes since Trump was last in office is what Trump himself has called “an axis of resistance”, which includes Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. China is challenging the primacy of the USA in the international order, while Russia is at war in Ukraine and at odds with the West at large. Putin has the long-term goal of regaining Russia’s strategic position that it had during the first Cold War.
Balz added that Trump’s potential moves on Ukraine are still unknown and are a source of considerable concern internationally. Trump has the opportunity to help remake the Middle East but it is unclear to what extent he will give Israel a free hand. Moreover, “Trump’s hectoring of NATO is an ongoing concern, and the prospect of new tariffs is deeply worrying…” to many countries.
On top of this, a starkly different American role in the world is envisaged in the Heritage Foundation’s suggestions for a second Trump Administration. The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that, over the years, has been producing blueprints for governance by Republican administrations in the USA. A blueprint for governance that it produced at the time heavily influenced the Reagan Administration and was implemented to the extent of some sixty percent of the recommendations.
Some 140 persons who had worked in the first Trump administration had a hand in the organization and writing of Project 2025. Although, during the electoral campaign, then candidate Trump formally denied any connection with Project 2025, this was understood to be for tactical campaigning purposes. A lot of the high-level officials coming into the second Trump Administration are vocal supporters of Project 2025.
Project 2025 is expected to influence considerably the substantive policies of the second Trump term. Naturally, one must await the actual decisions and actions of the newly-elected President and his Cabinet appointees. But President Trump’s continuing insistence on an ‘America First’ policy, and his declared policies since winning a second term suggest that one would be wise to pay close attention to the policy recommendations in Project 2025.
Project 2025 is a detailed document of over 900 pages containing prescriptions on practically every aspect of American governance, domestically and internationally. Books have been published to summarize and explain its provisions for the general public. One of these is by Bryan Woodward, Project 2025 Explained Chapter by Chapter (2024). Another is by Carl Young, Project 2025 and the Global Stage. Implications for American Foreign Policy and International Relations (2024). We have consulted both of these books in writing this piece. Two terms characterize the policy proposals in Project 2025: Unilateralism and the Unitary Executive Theory.
Project 2025’s Plan for a Unilateralist American Foreign Policy includes:
Unilateralism: A Preference for unilateral action and skepticism towards multilateral institutions and agreements.
Unitary Executive Theory: The President, as the head of the executive branch, possesses inherent and extensive powers to execute laws and conduct foreign policy.
Transactional diplomacy: Viewing foreign relations through transactional lens, focusing on short-term gains rather than long-term strategic partnerships.
Economic nationalism: Centering trade policy on protectionist measures and bilateral negotiations, rather than multilateral free trade agreements.
Military strength: While skeptical of foreign interventions, there is an emphasis on military build-up and modernization, particularly in nuclear capabilities.
Skepticism of traditional alliances: NATO and other long-standing alliances are viewed critically, with demands for increased financial contributions from allies.
Carl Young has commented that “In contrast to the multilateral tradition, Project 2025 envisions a more assertive and independent role for the United States on the world stage. It emphasizes a ‘go-it-alone’ approach, where the US prioritizes its own national interests above all else. This approach, known as unilateralism, is rooted in the belief that the US is exceptional and should not be constrained by international rules of institutions.”
Project 2025’s emphasis on ‘America First’ and its skepticism towards free trade agreements could, it is claimed, lead to a resurgence of protectionist policies in the United States. Protectionism, in its various forms, seeks to shield domestic industries from foreign competition through tariffs, quotas, subsidies, and other trade barriers.
Project 2025’s emphasis on burden-sharing and its skepticism towards multilateral institutions could, it has been said, lead to a reassessment of the United States’ commitment to the United Nations and to NATO.
Carl Young has argued that the advent of Project 2025, with its emphasis on unilateralism and ‘America First’ principles, “poses a significant challenge to the established order, particularly concerning the United States’ commitment to upholding and promoting human rights on the global stage. This paradigm shift in American foreign policy carries profound implications for the future of human rights advocacy, the promotion of democracy and civil liberties, and the protection of vulnerable populations. Project 2025’s approach to human rights raises serious concerns about the future of American leadership in this area.”
Furthermore, Project 2025’s prioritization of strategic competition with China “represents a significant departure from the engagement policies of previous administrations.” Economic decoupling, the process of reducing economic interdependence between the United States and China is a key component of Project 2025’s approach to China. Project 2025 views Iran as a major threat to US national interests in the Middle East and advocates a more confrontational approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Project 2025 argues forcefully for President Trump to exercise unitary executive powers, for the USA to pursue a policy of unilateralism instead of multilateralism in foreign policy, to practice assertive protectionism, to roll-back environmental agreements, to practice selectivity when it comes to international human rights, and to show strength towards China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Project 2025 advocates the Unitary Executive Theory, which posits that the President, as the head of the executive branch, possesses inherent and extensive powers to execute laws and conduct foreign policy. Bryan Woodward notes that the unitary executive theory represents a controversial and far-reaching interpretation of presidential power within the framework of American constitutional law. This doctrine underscores the President’s role as the sole representative of the nation in international affairs, vesting him with the authority to make decisions without undue interference from other branches of government.
Proponents of the Unilateral Executive Theory argue that it liberates the United States from the constraints of multilateral institutions and agreements, which they perceive as cumbersome and inefficient. Bryan Woodward had commented: “This document represents a pivotal moment for the future of American democracy. The policy proposals outlined within its pages, if implemented, would fundamentally reshape the relationship between the government and the governed, concentrating power in the hands of a conservative executive while eroding key checks and balances.”
With the second Trump Administration seemingly inspired by Project 2025, seismic changes could be under way in the prevailing international order. The world is now in uncharted waters.