Abstract
American grand strategy is at a crossroads. The preferred trajectory of president-elect Trump, hardball isolationism and nationalism, runs counter to the American tradition of global leadership and liberal interventionism. Despite Trump’s preference for a new grand strategy, it is far from preordained that he will successfully resist Washington’s perennial pull of hegemony once sworn into office. Therefore, it is imperative to examine the strategic preferences of the American public, given that it has to bear the costs of this grand strategy. So what can one expect when the public is disinterested in supporting such an ambitious grand strategy?
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