Episode Details

President Donald Trump has opened his second term with several major foreign policy moves: targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, sweeping trade negotiations and tariff regimes, a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, and a landmark North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in The Hague. All these underscore the president’s emphasis on proactive diplomacy, peace talks, and conflict resolution—exemplified by his achievement of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire framework.

The National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy both outline the administration’s approach of “flexible realism” and prioritize the Western Hemisphere and Indo-Pacific.

In January 2026 alone, the Trump administration has continued its rapid pace of foreign policy with the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, a major trade and investment deal with Taiwan, and renewed focus on the emerging Arctic security competition.

Join Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs and Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX) for a discussion on the Trump administration’s first year of foreign policy and the risks and opportunities ahead.