• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "William J. Burns"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie China"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "China’s Foreign Relations",
    "U.S.-China Relations"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "North Africa",
    "South Asia",
    "Afghanistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

A New Foreign Policy Strategy?

It remains to be seen whether recent foreign policy pivots by the Trump administration amount to a departure from its earlier views about America’s role in the world.

Link Copied
By William J. Burns
Published on Apr 13, 2017

Source: PBS’ NewsHour

Carnegie President Ambassador William J. Burns joined PBS’ Judy Woodruff and Admiral James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, to discuss whether the Trump administration’s recent military actions and policy pronouncements about Syria, Russia, China, and beyond suggest a recalibration of the administration’s foreign policy strategy.

This interview was originally broadcast by PBS’ NewsHour.

About the Author

William J. Burns

Former Carnegie President (2015-2021)

A former career diplomat, William J. Burns served as director of the CIA, deputy secretary of State, and ambassador to Russia and Jordan. Burns was also president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 2015 to 2021.

    Recent Work

  • Research
    Reimagining Transatlantic Relations
      • +8

      William J. Burns, Michael Chertoff, Catherine Ashton, …

  • Commentary
    A New U.S. Foreign Policy for the Post-Pandemic Landscape

      William J. Burns

William J. Burns
Former Carnegie President (2015-2021)
William J. Burns
SecurityForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastNorth AfricaSouth AsiaAfghanistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Article
    Turkey’s Four Headaches Are Also Europe’s

    Between stalled economic ties and a push for greater security cooperation, EU-Turkey relations remain uncertain. Ankara’s continued slide toward autocracy is the likeliest common denominator in these competing dynamics.

      Marc Pierini

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Member States Must Make Enlargement Their Own

    The European Commission is preparing the EU for its next enlargement. But member states need to make it a project that European citizens can understand, shape, and support.

      Iliriana Gjoni

  • Planetary Power: Geoengineering and the New Geopolitics of Climate Intervention
    Research
    Planetary Power: Geoengineering and the New Geopolitics of Climate Intervention

    Geoengineering is becoming a geopolitical question as much as a climate one. The way states and the private sector pursue these technologies, assess risks, and drive research increasingly appears focused on gaining a strategic edge. In a field where governance in lagging behind, Europe should keep track of the geopolitical implications if it is to develop effective regulatory frameworks.

      Olivia Lazard, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is Burnham’s EU Policy Bold Enough?

    Resetting relations with the EU is a central plank of the UK’s current foreign policy. Is Andy Burnham being bold enough or is he falling into the same trap as his predecessors, misreading the power dynamic?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europe Needs its own Sanctions-Enforcement Muscle

    The EU can impose sanctions but struggles to enforce them without the United States. With Washington increasingly disinterested in backing European interests, the bloc must now fend for itself.

      Nicu Popescu, Tiago Antunes

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.