Why Trump’s Bilateral Approach to Foreign Policy Is Necessary but Not Sufficient

U.S. President Donald Trump, in words and action, favors bilateral relations as the cornerstone of his foreign policy. Special ties to some key countries and leaders will always be important, but his approach is downplaying the value of regional systems and multilateralism, and of their institutions. As a result, it will fall short in protecting American interests in an age of redistributed power and transnational threats.

In his first month in office, Trump has held bilateral meetings with the leaders of the U.K., Canada, Japan and Israel, while having one with Mexico’s president canceled. Watching his strangely aggressive handshakes and his comments about his new friends makes clear that he plans to determine which leaders he can do business with and which he can’t, and that his opinion of his counterparts matters more than the formal vetting process that the State Department provides the White House, as it tries to allocate access to the president as a tool of American power and influence. ...