Kebijakan Amerika Serikat dalam Bidang Perdagangan: Studi Komparasi Masa Pemerintahan Presiden Barack Obama dan Donald Trump
Keywords:
Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Trade Policy, Protectionism , GeopoliticsAbstract
This study investigates the paradigmatic shift in United States trade policy between the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Moving beyond a simple chronological account, the research employs a comparative analysis and literature review to dissect the drivers behind the transition from Obama’s multilateral engagement to Trump’s unilateral protectionism. The findings reveal that this policy metamorphosis was not merely a change in rhetoric but a strategic pivot driven by complex domestic and external pressures. Domestically, the policies were fueled by rising political populism and deepening economic inequality, which eroded support for free trade. Externally, the rapid ascent of China as a global economic hegemon forced a re-evaluation of the US strategy, transforming trade relations from mutual interdependence into a sphere of intense strategic contestation. The analysis demonstrates that under the Trump administration, the US increasingly prioritized national interest and geopolitical supremacy over the principles of global economic efficiency and liberalization. This shift significantly contributed to the weakening of the multilateral trading system, characterized by the withdrawal from key agreements and the escalation of tariff wars. Consequently, the study concludes that the divergence in trade policies between these two eras marked a critical turning point in international relations. It signaled a move away from the post-Cold War consensus of open markets toward a new era defined by economic nationalism, structural tensions, and a zero-sum approach to global commerce. These changes have fundamentally altered the dynamics of the global economy, challenging the stability of the existing international order.
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