https://arab.news/zbxjh
There must be some connection between the “Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership — The Conservative Promise,” prepared by the Heritage Foundation, and Donald Trump’s domestic and foreign policies.
I reviewed it — it is about 1,000 pages long. When asked about it during his presidential campaign, Trump acknowledged he knew about it but claimed he was not being guided by it. Yet, there are many similarities and it appears to be a conservative “manifesto.” This might explain how Trump has shocked the world with the speed of his actions, decisions and appointments, and the massive changes he is implementing.
Since taking office, he has been moving mountains. With deliberate intent, he aims to change the world — dismantling the old system and building an alternative. His policy shifts the US away from the transatlantic alliance with Europe, embraces emerging political forces to help them take power in allied countries like Germany and the UK and seeks to share global influence and interests with rivals like Russia. He has also overturned long-standing US foreign policy principles, such as promoting democracy and freedoms, while rolling back social and environmental protection laws domestically. This suggests that his transformation agenda is systematic, institutional and extensive — potentially lasting beyond his presidency.
The changes reflect a widespread feeling among Americans that they need a strong leader — someone who can resolve issues like the ballooning deficit and national debt, halt the influx of millions of undocumented immigrants and confront competitors like China. These factors propelled Trump, who had never worked in politics before his first presidency and never belonged to a political party, yet has stunned everyone by being elected twice. He brought the presidency to the Republican Party, not the other way round.
His transformation agenda is systematic, institutional and extensive — potentially lasting beyond his presidency
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
The foreign minister of Venezuela once said Trump aspires to be the world’s emperor, though empires have ceased to exist since the fall of the British Empire. Trump has his eyes on the Panama Canal, wants Greenland from Denmark, insists on calling Canada the 51st state and, according to his critics, secretly plans to sell out Taiwan and Ukraine. He pressures other countries to open their markets to US goods and imposes high tariffs on imports. Under Trump’s leadership, the US appears stronger and more assertive.
Of course, there are other major powers in the world, but the US is the superpower — and Trump insists that everyone recognizes it as such.
Is this Trump’s philosophy? Trump, along with many in the US, believes the country needs a strong leader — not just a co-governor alongside the 535 members of Congress, state governors and lobbying groups that serve foreign and corporate interests.
What about our region? The Project 2025 document contains a chapter urging the president not to abandon America’s influence in the Middle East, warning that its absence would benefit its adversaries. It proposes a multidimensional strategy.
The conservative playbook also recommends preventing Iran from acquiring a military nuclear program and supporting Israel in confronting it. It advises reversing the damage the Biden administration caused in long-term US-Saudi relations, cutting funding to the Palestinian Authority, preventing Turkiye from getting closer to Russia and China and establishing a “security pact” including Israel, Egypt, the Gulf states and possibly India as part of a new quadrilateral arrangement.
The document contains a chapter urging the president not to abandon America’s influence in the Middle East
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
It also emphasizes the importance of US-French security cooperation in North Africa to curb rising terrorist threats and limit Russian expansion there. Additionally, it highlights the need for an American presence in Africa to counter China’s growing dominance in the continent’s critical mineral supply chains for emerging technologies.
Within its recommendations, Project 2025 urges Trump to prioritize Africa and implement significant changes, including abandoning traditional aid policies in favor of engaging the US private sector. It describes aid as a source of corruption that does not serve America’s strategic interests, advocating instead for a focus on free market growth. Trump is also advised to confront what he calls China’s harmful activities in Africa and to recognize Somaliland as an independent state to strengthen America’s position in the region.
This is just a glimpse of the conservative ambitions to ensure Trump’s tenure does not pass without profound changes in policies, leadership and foundational ideas — both domestically and globally. The desire for internal transformation is even greater and more challenging. Trump has the popularity and strong personality and he has brought executives into his administration who share his enthusiasm, such as Elon Musk. However, governing in America is complex — even for someone like Trump — due to the checks and balances among the three branches of government, which could slow him down.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a Saudi journalist and intellectual. He is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya news channel and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published. X: @aalrashed