Citing a typology from an influential 2001 book, Ross Douthat divides American foreign policy into four tendencies, and argues that Trump is a “Jacksonian.” Is he right?
Yes, and I would take the typology a step further; each of the four tendencies can be clearly identified with a GOP faction, as follows:
- “Hamiltonian” (pragmatic and business-oriented): PBPs.
- “Wilsonian” (determined to spread American values around the globe–by force, if necessary): Christian Democrats.
- “Jeffersonian” (the world is an evil place–disengage from it): Conservative Libertarians.
- “Jacksonian” (avoid entanglements with the outside world, but use overwhelming force against anyone who attacks you): Reactionaries.
I can remember right-wingers arguing many years ago that we should have stayed out of Vietnam, but if we were going to fight, we should have won by using the bomb. That is a perfect description of the Reactionary attitude towards foreign wars. It is also an accurate picture of Trump’s views on warfare.
Trump is primarily a Reactionary, so you would expect him to be a “Jacksonian,” and he is. That’s one of the reasons the use of nuclear weapons will be on the table at some point in this process. The others are the difficulty of fighting a conventional war with Iran, and the man on golf cart’s attitude towards negotiations. I will address them in subsequent posts.