US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines: 5. The Bush Doctrine

Justin Webb looks back at the five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe Doctrine to Donald Trump. Over five episodes he and his guests look at how America’s approach to the world has constantly changed over time. This may help answer a really big question - how radical is the way Donald Trump deals with the world? Is he really an outlier in US history? Or do his actions reflect the changing patterns of American power? In this episode Justin discusses the Bush Doctrine with Melvyn Leffler, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Virginia and Bronwen Maddox, Director of the London based think-tank, Chatham House. Presenter: Justin Webb Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Credit: Bush’s Graduation Speech at West Point courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library

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US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines: 5. The Bush Doctrine is an episode from Understand: The Economy by BBC.

This episode is 17:12 long.

This episode was published on Jan 23, 2026.

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