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US Global Engagement: Are We In, Out, Or In Limbo?

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Lecture
Jake Sullivan and Tom Wyler joined the Council to discuss the Trump administration's departing from core principles that have underpinned US foreign policy for decades.
Speakers
Jake Sullivan
Tom Wyler
Event Date

About this event

Where is American foreign policy heading? Jake Sullivan, former director of policy planning at the US Department of State, argues that the current administration is departing from core principles that have underpinned US foreign policy for decades—the importance of alliances, the role of values, and a broader commitment to leadership based on positive sum logic. Instead, the US has become increasingly transactional, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and TPP, and casting doubt over the Iran Nuclear Deal and NAFTA. This shift, Sullivan contends, is not just about Trump, but about a broader national debate on the future of American foreign policy—and the impact of US foreign policy decisions on the American middle class. What should we make of America First? And what is an alternative vision that is effectively matched to the needs and realities of the moment?

About the Speakers
Jake Sullivan
Former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
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Jake Sullivan served as national security advisor during the Biden administration from January 2021 to January 2025. Previously, he was a senior policy advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and served as her deputy chief of staff when she was secretary of state.
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Tom Wyler
Partner, Hakluyt & Company
Photo of Tom Wyler
Tom Wyler is a board member at the Chicago Council and a partner at Hakluyt & Company, a global strategic advisory firm. Previously, he was senior vice president for global strategy at PSP Capital, and during the Obama administration, he served as counselor and senior advisor for international economics to the US Secretary of Commerce.
Photo of Tom Wyler