With His Riyadh Allocution, Trump Ripped Up the Foreign Policy Playbook

The May 29–30 Astana International Forum (AIF) in Kazakhstan drew thousands of attendees — heads of state, senior diplomats, and entrepreneurs — eager for insights into Central Asia’s rising global significance. Topics ranged from foreign policy and water management to energy, trade, and economic integration.

A key message from the organizers was that Middle Powers — Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Türkiye, South Africa, Argentina, and others — should serve as bridges to peace and solidarity amid growing global polarization and Great Power conflict. Unsurprisingly, lots of folk were trying to horn in on business opportunities – mainly agriculture, mining, and metals, of which there is an abundance in the region.

Yet the real buzz in the hallways and cafés wasn’t about panel discussions, raw materials, or the next sound bite for the press. What had international policy mavens all atwitter was President Trump’s unexpected speech in Saudi Arabia – which might well prove to be the Trump Doctrine: global crises, he said, are better resolved through diplomacy and mutually beneficial business partnerships, not bayonets, diktat, and moral sermonizing. That message, coming from the President of the United States, landed with force.

During the three days I spent in Astana, I noticed that many delegates who normally spoke in well-rehearsed sound bites designed not to offend, suddenly spoke more bluntly, even going off-script. They dropped the cautious language and the standard foreign policy group-speak. What was going on?  Was this the Trump effect?

My guess is that Trump’s Riyadh allocution was intended to rip up the decades-old foreign policy playbook of Brussels, London, and prior U.S. administrations. Instead of promoting the globalist/woke agenda, which had been de rigueur at international diplomatic clambakes of the Astana sort, Trump called for détente and reciprocity – more the realism of Nixon and Kissinger (leavened with a pinch of Ronald Reagan) than the idealism of Wilson and FDR. He wanted to deliver on his promise to the American people to make America great again (including boosting domestic manufacturing) rather than squander precious resources beating down any country that looks at us cross-eyed.

Trump’s Riyadh speech — like his inaugural address — called for a peaceable foreign policy.  That message reverberated in Astana: “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together — not bombing each other out of existence.”

Perhaps most cutting was Trump’s indictment of interventionist dogma: “This great transformation has not come from Western interventionists giving you lectures… The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not built by ‘nation-builders,’ ‘neo-cons,’ or ‘liberal non-profits’… Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves – pursuing their own visions and charting their own destinies.” That’s not just decentralization – Trump at Riyadh rejected ideological globalism.

Trump didn’t stop there. “In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built — intervening in complex societies they didn’t understand.” I quoted that to more than two dozen delegates, who simply replied, though not always in so many words: “Finally, someone gets it.”

The core of Trump’s message resonated with many AIF attendees: national interests, sovereignty, and prosperity are best advanced through pragmatic diplomacy, not paternalistic ideology or self-serving initiatives disguised as altruism. Who can argue with that?

“It was as though Trump flipped a switch,” said a senior Indian businessman. “For years, we’ve all spoken in cautious, semi-choreographed language. But after Riyadh, the tone at AIF markedly changed. Trump gave people cover to speak plainly — for once.”

What’s more, delegates cited Trump’s speech as a masterclass in development economics, in which national identity, customs, and cooperation form the foundation of sustainable growth.

In Riyadh, Trump highlighted the futility of imposing outside blueprints on diverse nations: “Peace, prosperity, and progress ultimately came [to Saudi Arabia] not from a radical rejection of your heritage, but from embracing it… You achieved a modern miracle the Arabian way.” If there’s an Arabian way, surely there’s a Kazakh, Azeri, Turkmen, Indian, Kenyan, Chilean, and American way too. No one in Astana doubted it. Even the globalists were left tongue-tied.

Kazakh President Tokayev’s keynote reinforced the shift in emphasis: “Instead of making wars we must embrace our peoples, first of all, the younger generation, to become more engaged in making progress and creating enlightened societies.” In other words, let us strive for peace.

Vice President Vance also echoed Trump in his graduation address at the U.S. Naval Academy (May 2025): “Now I want to be clear; the Trump administration has reversed course. No more undefined missions, no more open-ended conflicts. We’re returning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed much the same thought though in different terms: “A mature foreign policy requires a balancing of interests — that’s a fact.”

Central Asian leaders welcome the new tone emanating from Washington.

A seasoned hand in geopolitics, Tokayev lamented the spread of senseless conflicts: “Conflicts and wars continue to spread across continents and communities. As of last year, 52 states were experiencing armed conflict. Meanwhile, the economic impact of violence reached $19 trillion – nearly 13.5% of global GDP.”  We must do better. Others echoed these sentiments.

No one in Central Asia — or anywhere else in the Global South — welcomes Great Power meddling in their affairs, especially if done under the guise of European values or democracy building.

Half the battle is simply making it acceptable to say things out loud that until recently were all but unspeakable. Trump’s commonsense realism and focus on American strategic interests seem to have broken the spell of messianic globalism. Kazakhstan and Central Asia have an unprecedented opportunity to assert their interests, and, judging by what transpired at the Astana International Forum, are ready to act accordingly.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publication, its affiliates, or any other organizations mentioned.