Diplomats braced for unpredictable impact of Trump foreign policy

The US foreign policy establishment is set for one of the biggest shake-ups in years as Donald Trump has vowed to both revamp US policy abroad and root out the so-called "deep state" by firing thousands of government workers - including those among the ranks of America's diplomatic corps.

- Andrew Roth

Trump's electoral victory is also likely to push the Biden administration to speed up efforts to support Ukraine before Trump can cut off military aid, hamper the already-modest efforts to restrain Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Gaza and Lebanon, and lead to a fresh effort to slash and burn through major parts of US bureaucracy, including the state department.

Trump backers have said he will be more organized during his second term, often dubbed "Trump 2.0", and on the day after the election US media reported that Trump had already chosen Brian Hook, a hawkish state department official during the first Trump administration, to lead the transition for America's diplomats.

And yet analysts, serving and former US diplomats and foreign officials said that it remained difficult to separate Trump's bluster from his actual plans for when he takes power in January. What is clear is that his priority is to bin many of the policies put in place by his predecessor.