America’s deep political divisions eroding trust, new study finds
A new paper co-authored by DPIR’S John G. Winant Associate Professor in US Foreign Policy Lauren Sukin finds that America’s deep political divisions are eroding trust far beyond its borders.
Written with Helen Webley-Brown of Stanford University and published in International Studies Quarterly, the article shows that rising US polarisation undermines global confidence in its commitments – including nuclear guarantees.
In the article ‘Divisions at Home, Broken Promises Abroad? How Domestic Politics Shapes the United States’ Nuclear Credibility’, the authors emphasise that this outcome is irrespective of which party is in power – Republicans or Democrats.
It comes amid apparent inconsistency in the Trump administration’s approach to Ukraine and its expectations of NATO.
The findings underscore a critical conclusion: the challenge to the United States’ credibility extends beyond the identity of the governing party and is fundamentally rooted in the persistence of deep domestic political divisions.
The authors conclude, that as long as such polarisation endures, scepticism regarding the reliability of US commitments in the international arena is likely to remain.
