Donald Trump's Unilateralism and the Decline of American Soft Power in the Global Political Economy

Document Type : Research

Author

Assistant Professor, Political Sciences, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

The nature and structure of power in the post-Cold War global political economy has changed. In this regard, new dimensions of power, especially soft power, have become very important in strengthening the position and position of countries. Based on the evidence, the functioning and promotion of American soft power had changed dramatically under Obama. Reciprocally, the change in decision-making structure in this country and appointing Donald Trump seem to have affected this issue. The present study examines how Trump's appointment as a president and his domestic and foreign policies have affected the position of American power in the global political economy. The research hypothesizes that the political economy of American domestic and foreign policy in the Trump era has led to the decline of its soft power in the world system. In the present article, the context of political economy is the decline of US soft power and the mechanism of influence of Trump policies on the position of soft power in the country, focusing on the use of hardware resources in the context of unilateralism, tariff warfare and political populism, anti-immigration policies and the tensions with the media and political institutions are described by the Trump administration. The result of these policies has been a decline in US soft power characteristics in terms of disregard for human rights and political institutions, media freedom, a positive image of the United States in world public opinion, multilateralism, public diplomacy, and international treaties and institutions. Eventually, the soft power of the country in the global political economy has declined.

Keywords

References

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International Political Economy Studies
Volume 4, Issue 1
September 2021
Pages 121-155

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 June 2021
  • Revise Date: 19 August 2021
  • Accept Date: 23 August 2021

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