Diplomacy and International Politics

Nicholas Burns was Ambassador to NATO under Bush Jr. and director of Soviet and Russian Affairs under Bush Sr. He speaks to Planet America’s John Barron about his concerns for the future of NATO under President Donald Trump.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s appearance in Washington is highlighting a rare point of contention between President Trump and congressional Republicans, who continue to hold diverging views over the value of a military alliance that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this week.

In the turbulent times of difficult EU-US relations, Brexit, and rising nationalism in Europe, this course analyses the impressive extent of EU presence in the developing world. It first introduces theories, concepts and decision-making processes related to EU foreign policy (by both Member States and EU institutions). In particular, we analyse the processes within the European Communities, and the CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policies) / CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policies) frameworks. The course then critically assesses security and economic policies towards the developing world. Themes to explain the nature of contemporary EU foreign policies include: European integration (intergovernmentalism and supranationalism, neoliberalism and ethical foreign policy), diplomacy, post-colonialism, military and civilian means for conflict-management, and also policies on migration, asylum and

During the Trump administration, the usual ways of conducting diplomacy have been upended. Many positions in the State Department have never been filled, and meetings with foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin have been undertaken with little advance planning. What effect are these changes having now, and how will they affect ongoing relationships between the United States and its allies and adversaries?

Former US ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns speaks with AM's Kim Landers. He describes the Brussels NATO summit as "messy" and "divisive" due to President Trump's adversarial stance, which he says was an attempt to signal to his supporters at home that he was standing up to Europe. He describes Mr Trump's threats of leaving the treaty as "preposterous."

President Trump is in Europe this week, having first been in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, then heading to the UK for Thursday meetings and a visit with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, before meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday July 16.