We live in a world of big political personalities, "breaking news" and fast-moving events, but to understand how the world will change in 2018, we must look more closely at four important political trends developing beneath the surface.
First, it is regional, not global, security that will matter most for war and peace. Donald Trump's calls for an "America First" approach to U.S. foreign policy inspired fear that Trump would dismantle alliances that took decades to build. His early provocative approach to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization added to the worries. Yet, Trump has relied mainly on experienced men in uniform to set policy, with a result, the occasional tweet-storm aside, that is not so different than we might have gotten from President Hillary Clinton.
