EXPLAINING THE THREE‐WAY LINKAGE BETWEEN POPULISM, SECURITIZATION, AND REALIST FOREIGN POLICIES: President Donald Trump and the Pursuit of “America First” Doctrine

Abstract

In the age of growing global populism, the continued popularity and relevance of a populist government is anchored on the ability of its populist leader to convince the voters that the primary objective of his foreign policies is to secure the interests of the state and its citizens. However, without an adequate level of state power, pursuing realist foreign policies to improve the state’s relative gains and position in the international system can pose significant risks even for the most influential populist leader. Hence, the question is, how do populist leaders acquire an adequate level of state power to implement realist foreign policies, without ultimately losing their political capital and institutional legitimacy in the process? To answer this question, I develop a model that illustrates the three-way linkage between populism, securitization, and realism. I use this model to explain the rationale behind President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine, as well as its implications for U.S. foreign policy making. I argue that “populist securitization” is a conduit through which populist leaders formulate, execute, and justify their realist foreign policies. Using Trump’s securitization of the U.S. economy as a case study, I reveal how a populist securitization act can trigger the illiberal tendencies and nativist sentiments of the nationalistic voters, which, in turn, allow populist leaders to maintain their popularity and legitimacy among these voters while they experiment with realist foreign policies.

The Duterte method: A neoclassical realist guide to understanding a small power’s foreign policy and strategic behaviour in the Asia-Pacific

“…At a time when the chief architect and defender of the liberal democratic world order is adopting strategies that weaken the very foundations of this arrangement, Duterte sees no reason to continue to adhere to and operate based on these US-defined principles, norms and rules of engagement. Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine, which is primarily designed to protect US interests and reverse its decline, helps rationalize the government’s growing alignment with Xi (Magcamit, 2017). Why should the Philippines continue to give its loyalty to an old ally if, rather than promoting and defending the values of a Western-configured international system, it is now trying to walk away from its commitments in the hope of making America great again?…”

“…Trump’s so-called ‘principled realism’ – a fancy, more palatable term for the American tradition of exceptionalism, isolationism, unilateralism and revisionism – has only reinforced Duterte’s views about the prevalence and damaging impact of American hypocrisy (Magcamit, 2017). The US administration’s exceptionalist stance on human rights and climate change issues; isolationist approach to free trade and migration problems; unilateralist response against ‘rogue’ states and sovereign leaders perceived to sponsor terrorism; and revisionist interpretation of fundamental democratic principles and liberal ideals all highlight the widening cracks within the once cohesive and impenetrable Western realm (Magcamit, 2017). These fractures can cause irreparable damages to the West’s influence and control over the management of the world economy, the distribution of global military power, the agenda-setting in various international institutions and the spread of anti-West soft power, thereby irreversibly diminishing its dominance and status.…”

The Philippines’ COVID-19 Response

“…The securitisation of the economy allowed extraordinary measures to be implemented, such as waging a trade war against China. Magcamit (2017) observes that Trump's successful securitisation of the US economy primarily relied on convincing his base that drastic measures against, say, China, is necessary to restore the greatness of the USA. Trump ostensibly relied on his populistic appeal to make his case and convince many Americans in the process.…”

Trump talk: Rethinking elections, rhetoric, and American foreign policy

“…The second theme emerging from this special issue is Trump’s populism and how his populist rhetoric transforms both the domestic and foreign policy landscape. With this theme, the contributors join a growing body of research on populism and Trump’s foreign policy (Boucher and Thies, 2019; Magcamit, 2017; Skonieczny, 2019; Wilson, 2017). As the introduction to the issue points out (Lacatus & Meibauer), the contributors avoid conceptual debates on populism that have proliferated in the literature, and instead focus on the rhetorical core of populism as:a language that ordinary people – and the often-wealthy politicians who claim to speak for them – use to organize themselves against elites they see as self-serving and undemocratic.…”