‘America First’ is Making China Great Again and Russia is Right in the Mix: Trump’s Foreign Policy in Age of Xi and Putin and its Bearing on South China Sea and Indian Ocean Region
2017 Joint Area Center Symposium
Srinivasan Sitaraman, Associate Professor of Political Science at Clark University

Trump’s ‘America First’ policy and the clumsy dalliance with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, and the variety of intelligence leaks and claims of hacking have sowed the seeds of confusion in the U.S-Russia relationship. While Mr. Trump was touting his friendship with the Russian president, his inexperienced UN Ambassador, Ms. Nikki Haley, was criticizing Russia for its policies in Ukraine and Crimea in the floor of the UN Security Council. This muddled messaging and the mutual admiration between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin has not translated into effective partnership in dealing with the Syrian civil war or in the battle against ISIS. Both Russia and Syria vetoed an American sponsored resolution in the UN that condemned the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons against civilians.  Mr. Trump repeatedly invoked the bogeyman of China during his campaign and attacked China’s trade and currency policies, but his decision to preemptively withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement sends the message that it is unwilling to support its Asian partners against China. During his Senate confirmation hearings, Mr. Rex Tillerson, the new American Secretary of State, recommended that the United States should block China’s access to the disputed islands. The Chinese government reacted by warning of devastating consequences and a large-scale war in the South-China Sea. Mr. Trump’s reversal on the one-China policy demonstrates that his administration is rather clueless on how to confront China. There is enormous uncertainty surrounding Mr. Trump’s policy towards South China Sea and towards China in general.