Defense

US Election Note: Defence Policy After 2016

Whatever the outcome, this is one of the most consequential presidential elections in US history, and it will shape the future of the United States’ role in the world for years, even decades, to come. 

• Defence policy has taken centre stage in what has proven to be one of the most contentious and polarizing US presidential election campaigns in history. The stakes are high given today’s increasingly complex international security landscape, and each candidate offers different futures for the United States in terms of defence policy.
• Americans have conflicting views on US engagement overseas, which has made it difficult to propose policies regarding the country’s role in the world. While they generally support US ‘leadership’, policy proposals that advocate US retrenchment have also resonated among them...