Trump’s Iran Policy and the Transformation of American Hegemony

INTRODUCTION

The present-day global role of the US can be regarded as a process of transition between hegemony and empire. Trump’s foreign policy priorities, however, indicate that this transition is increasingly deepening in favour of empire. This affects not only the structure of the international system but also, directly, the US’s own domestic political legitimacy. The prominence of military elements will lead states and societies in the international arena to arm themselves further and to face security problems. This will also weaken the expectations that international institutions would become more effective in the post-USSR period, and may drag the world into a new age of conflicts and wars.
The “America First” approach adopted under Donald Trump, and the interventions in Venezuela and Iran carried out within this framework, show that, although American presidents have different rhetoric, they pursue similar strategies aimed at strengthening the position of the US in the international system. Under Trump in particular, foreign policy has settled on a line that moves away from international institutions and cooperation, rests on a more direct and unilateral use of force and prioritises the maximisation of national interest.