America's hot-and-cold stance toward allies

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Over the past couple of weeks, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have all managed to anger, frustrate or challenge the leaders of countries with whom the U.S. has traditionally had good relations. The most recent eruption came on Tuesday, when Trump called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

Not typical language from an ally.

The common phrase used to describe the Trump administration’s attitude toward its alliances with other countries is “America First.” I asked Donald Heflin, a former U.S. diplomat who now teaches at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, to explain how this fits into America’s historical relationships with its allies.

According to Heflin, over two centuries the nation’s allies have helped the U.S. gain independence, defend democracy and keep the peace. But America’s affection for its friends has nonetheless waxed and waned.

“How the U.S. treats its allies has been a crucial question in every presidency,” writes Heflin, “since George Washington became the country’s first chief executive.”

In his farewell address, Washington warned Americans against “entangling alliances.” Of course, as Heflin points out, Washington would likely never have “become president without the assistance of the not-yet-United-States’ first ally, France.”

And to further help you understand what’s going on with American foreign policy, today we have experts looking at the history of imperialism, the factors – both seen and unseen – at play in Trump’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine, and how Trump’s controversial demand for elections in Ukraine may be exactly what Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants.

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Naomi Schalit

Senior Editor, Politics + Democracy

French Gen. Jean de Rochambeau and American Gen. George Washington giving the last orders in October 1781 for the battle at Yorktown, where the British defeat ended the War of Independence. 'Siege of Yorktown' painting, Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images.

How allies have helped the US gain independence, defend freedom and keep the peace – even as the US did the same for our friends

Donald Heflin, Tufts University

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America's hot-and-cold stance toward allies

Health + Medicine

Politics + Society

Environment + Energy

Education

Economy + Business

Science + Technology

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