Donald Trump’s presidency may lead to a reassessment of the “American Empire”

Donald Trump’s inauguration has sparked a reassessment of America’s role in the world through the president’s statements about its interaction with international institutions, its willingness to intervene in foreign conflicts, and exercise forms of ‘soft power’. Debates about the nature of American power, and whether it constitutes a modern ‘empire’, have been on-going for decades. Andrew Mumford reframes the debate by identifying four schools of thought that have emerged: the Advocates, the Cautious Optimists, the Critics, and the Deniers. He assesses where the debate stands at the start of a new presidency.