
US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines: 5. The Bush Doctrine
From Understand by BBC Radio 4
January 23, 2026 · 17 min · Season 8 · Episode 5
About this episode
Justin Webb discusses the Bush Doctrine with experts to explore its significance in the context of US foreign policy.
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
People in this episode
Host: Justin Webb
Guests: Melvyn Leffler, Bronwen Maddox
Topics covered
- US foreign policy
- Bush Doctrine
- historical analysis
- political shifts
- American power
Keywords
- Bush Doctrine
- US foreign policy
- political history
- Donald Trump
- American power
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Virginia, Chatham House, BBC Radio 4
Books & works: Bush’s Graduation Speech at West Point
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