The Role of Ideology in the Moulding of US Foreign Policy Towards Cuba

Abstract

Most analysts have concluded that President Donald Trump does not have an elaborated ideology, 3 but rather that his character largely determines his decisions given his belief that he alone can fix what is wrong with the US government. This leads him towards being influenced by those advisors who reinforce his instincts. At the core is his belief that to restore US supremacy worldwide, American diplomacy needs to be forceful and aggressive. He is not an advocate of soft or smart power as used by the Obama administration. 4 In addition, he tends to prefer advisors whom he regards as tough and assertive. As a result, this article examines President Trump's personality and instincts and the degree to which his current, as well as previous, advisors' ideologies have influenced him in order to evaluate trends in US foreign policy generally and more specifically with respect to Cuba.