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Curated by Project Syndicate

Making Sense of Trump

32 commentaries

The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency have showcased a remarkable combination of soaring hubris and rank ineptitude. Project Syndicate commentators reflect on how Trump is changing America and, with his rash rhetoric and frequent policy reversals, fueling uncertainty around the world.

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  1. Trump’s Diplomatic Deficit
    Trump military Smith Collection/Gado

    Trump’s Diplomatic Deficit

    Apr 26, 2017 Christopher R. Hill fears that the US administration is leaning too heavily on military solutions.

  2. How to Renegotiate NAFTA
    us mexico border John Moore/Getty Images

    How to Renegotiate NAFTA

    Apr 24, 2017 Jeffrey Frankel identifies several ways the Trump administration could improve the 23-year-old deal.

  3. Will Economic Illiteracy Trigger a Trade War?
    Wilbur Ross Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Will Economic Illiteracy Trigger a Trade War?

    Apr 20, 2017 Jeffrey D. Sachs worries that senior US officials' apparent ignorance of basic concepts could lead to disaster.

  4. Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check
    Trump and Mattis Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

    Trump’s Dangerous Blank Check

    Apr 19, 2017 Stephen Holmes argues that delegating war-making decisions to the military never ends well.

  5. Why Scientists Are Marching
    protest for the environment Jewel Samad/Getty Images

    Why Scientists Are Marching

    Apr 17, 2017 Stephen Matlin, et al. offer a blueprint to reassert the role of facts in a world increasingly governed by emotion.

  6. What I Tell My Non-American Friends
    Trump supporters Andy Cross/The Denver Post/Getty Images

    What I Tell My Non-American Friends

    Apr 12, 2017 Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is optimistic about the resilience of US institutions and alliances in the face of Donald Trump.

  1. goldberg28_DENIS BALIBOUSEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_wto Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Have Developing Countries Soured on Multilateralism?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg traces the roots of dissatisfaction to advanced economies' use of bodies like the World Trade Organization.
  2. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  3. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  4. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  5. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  6. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  7. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  8. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  9. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.

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