Lee Jong-eun

President Donald Trump has returned to the Oval Office, becoming the first U.S. president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to serve a second nonconsecutive term. Unlike his initial presidential victory in 2016, his second win has elicited less international shock and fewer domestic protests. However, beneath the surface of relative calm, multiple anxieties linger about what the next four years of his presidency may bring.

Internationally, there are concerns that Trump’s second term could usher in more radical and turbulent changes than his first. No longer constrained by the need to run for reelection and likely to fill White House and Cabinet positions with personally loyal and ideologically aligned officials, the Trump administration is expected to be more assertive in advancing its “America First” foreign policy.

Building on policies implemented during his first term, Trump’s second term could further weaken U.S. commitments to international institutions and agreements, escalate geopolitical tensions with China and Iran, disengage from certain regional conflicts in Europe and Asia, and elevate protectionist barriers to international trade. Trump’s recent comments regarding the acquisition of Greenland and the Panama Canal have also heightened concerns about his administration’s pursuit of stronger regional hegemony in the Americas.

These “international challenges” are not predisposed to escalate into “international catastrophes.” While the geopolitical shifts that began during Trump’s first term may accelerate in his second, my hope is that through engagement and collaboration, international and U.S. policymakers can ensure changes take place with mitigated costs, a predictable trajectory and an eventual transition to........

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