2017: The Year America Abandoned Its Leadership Of The World

BY STEWART M. PATRICK AND ANNE SHANNON ON 12/31/17 AT 9:10 AM

This article first appeared on the Council on Foreign Relations site.

After President Donald J. Trump’s election last fall, many experts predicted that 2017 would be a tumultuous year for international cooperation.

During his campaign, Trump promised to “make America great again” by renegotiating or renouncing “bad” and “unfair” international agreements, and questioned the value of international institutions. Since January, Trump’s “America First” policies have seen the United States abdicate its global leadership role.

Yet, contrary to expectations, multilateral cooperation on pressing issues like climate change and migration has continued, as other states have stepped up to lead.

Despite all the tumult, the world has recorded several important achievements for multilateralism alongside the setbacks.

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