As President Trump and his administration push into their second year of government, the U.S.’s place in the world seems diminished.
In 2017, the Trump administration withdrew from the Transpacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Agreement, UNESCO, and repeatedly threatened allies to undo agreements ranging from trade, to refugee settlement policies, to the recognition of sovereignty in complicated geographies (i.e. Trump’s move to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an initiative that has sparked a backlash across the Middle East and drawn rare rebukes from allies such as Saudi Arabia).
This week Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarks on a multi-day journey through Latin America, we’re left wondering how President Trump will engage with the region through upcoming gatherings such as the Summit of the Americas happening in Lima this April, and how the administration will treat many of the issues of central importance to the region: trade, immigration and narcotics. Will it cooperate or go it alone?
