Russia in Global Affairs

Whether Moscow can build a broader international role is not apparent; it will require more than filling in the spaces that the United States leaves blank. Doing so on a long-term basis will also require preparing for the next inevitable cycle of American activism.

President Donald Trump’s decision to launch missile attacks against Syrian chemical weapons targets has done little to dispel fears among some US allies, and some in the American foreign policy establishment, that Trump may follow through on his March statement that America would be “coming out of Syria, like, very soon.”

Russian officials say Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is coming to Moscow for a visit, but the kingdom has been playing coy, perhaps as a bargaining tactic.

Assessing the possible foreign policy consequences of America’s turn toward the right requires a multi-layered approach built around key questions: What happened in the November 2014 mid-term elections — and why? How will America’s political system and government institutions adjust to reflect the election outcome and shifting opinion?