College of Humanities and Sciences

America’s global leadership and the restoration of a strong, effective State Department

Sept. 9, 2020
Author: Christopher Saladino
President Trump entered office with a pledge to disrupt the foreign policy establishment, in order to focus on U.S. national interests with an “America first” perspective. As Prof. Saladino argues, Trump’s efforts have not succeeded. Instead, they have profoundly diminished America’s global leadership, and have otherwise reduced the federal government’s ability to achieve its objectives. The presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, he argues, amounts to a high-stakes choice about America’s role in the world, and its ability to achieve necessary foreign policy goals.

About the Presenter

christopher saladino

Christopher Saladino earned an M.A. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia in 2002, and a B.A. in political science from VCU in 1999. He began teaching political science courses at VCU in 2002. Saladino served as assistant director for student engagement in the Wilder School from 2007 until 2013. From 2006 until 2013, he also served as the director of the Wilder School’s undergraduate honors program. In 2017, he won the College of Humanities and Sciences Distinguished Service Award.

Since 2008, Saladino has been conference director for the Politics and Government Student Research Conference, which brings together VCU students and participants from dozens of American and international universities. He is also the faculty adviser to VCU’s Xi Pi Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.

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