Great Decisions: Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation

The Trump Administration has pursued a national security strategy that prioritizes America First interests. As part of that strategy, the Trump Administration has demanded that U.S. allies and partners assume a greater share of the burden for regional conventional defense and internal security. This strategy risks creating security dilemmas for U.S. allies and partners. That is leading some to pursue hedging in their international relations. There are concerns that it could also lead some to pursue self-help options like the acquisition of nuclear weapons. This session addresses the implications of the Trump Administration’s rethinking of the U.S. alliance and partner relations on international security and stability. To what extent will increased ambiguity and uncertainty about U.S. security commitments alter the strategies pursued by allies and rivals around the world?

Speaker: Michael Walsh: Affiliated Faculty, University of Alaska, Visiting Researcher, University of Lapland, Visiting Research Fellow, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Michael Walsh is Affiliated Faculty at the University of Alaska and Visiting Researcher at the University of Lapland and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He is President of Future Continuum LLC, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Occasional Lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute. His research focuses on gaps in American foreign policy, while his consulting work centers on strategic planning and data-driven decision-making for U.S. allies. He has served on expert work groups for the Partnership for Peace Consortium, U.S. Army War College, and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and as Lead Researcher at the Hudson Institute. His insights have been featured in major outlets including the BBC, Financial Times, NPR, New York Times, Reuters, and The Guardian.

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zwj2wN2HRxeNQJ7fGDkY3A