In this Orion Talks conversation, hosted by Suat Cubukcu, Dr. Colin Clarke explores the potential implications of Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House. He analyzes how a second Trump presidency could reshape U.S. foreign policy priorities, alter the trajectory of the war between Russia and Ukraine, and test NATO’s cohesion and deterrence strategies. Additionally, Dr. Clarke examines Trump’s promises to broker peace in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Hamas, while addressing broader regional tensions involving Iran and its proxies. The discussion concludes with an evaluation of how Trump’s approach may redefine U.S. strategic competition with China and its overall impact on global stability.
Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., is the Director of Research at The Soufan Group. Clarke’s research focuses on domestic and transnational terrorism, international security, and geopolitics. Prior to joining The Soufan Group, Clarke was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he spent a decade researching terrorism, insurgency, and criminal networks. At RAND, Clarke led studies on ISIS financing, the future of terrorism and transnational crime, and lessons learned from all insurgencies since the end of World War II.
