The shift of United States (US) foreign policy from a heavy international focus with traditional alliances over the past century to the anti-globalist administration promised by President-elect Donald Trump will necessarily upset longstanding regional relations in the Middle East and North Africa. This Policy Paper discusses some of the Trump administration’s most likely foreign policy advisers and their positions on Kurdish self-governance, as well as those of some previous policymakers whose legacies he will be unable to escape.
It must be noted: there has never been a less predictable incoming President than Trump. To this point he has had no game plan and his closest advisors have repeatedly been replaced so it is unknown how many of those he has relied on thus far for foreign policy advice, or even if those he has named to cabinet positions, will actually make it into his administration. While based on the best information currently available regarding the more reliable of his potential advisers, allies and appointees, none of these prognostications or recommendations can be taken for granted.
Download the policy paper here
Citation: Gallant, Z. (2016) Could the Trump Administration Mean a New Beginning for the Kurds?, MERI Policy Paper. vol. 3. no. 3.
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About MERI
The Middle East Research Institute (MERI) is internationally ranked as Iraq’s leading think tank and policy research institute. As an independent, non-profit, grant-funded organisation, MERI advances evidence-based policymaking, democratic governance, and sustainable development through research, policy analysis, dialogue, and public engagement.
MERI’s research focuses on Iraq, the Levant and the wider Middle East, covering governance, state-building, foreign policy, regional security, post-conflict recovery, violent extremism, displacement, minority rights, women’s rights, civil society, Baghdad–Erbil relations, and broader geopolitical developments. Through its publications, policy dialogues, and the annual MERI Forum, MERI brings together policymakers, diplomats, academics, and civil society leaders to promote informed debate and practical policy solutions for the region’s most pressing challenges.