This article examines the conditions under which President Trump succeeded and failed to achieve his desired policy outcomes, focusing on his 2018 order to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, a decision that had implications for both human security and traditional conceptions of national security. Drawing on the principal-agent paradigm and Halperin et al.'s taxonomy of bureaucratic politics maneuvers, Trump's success in implementing policies depended on the complexity of the issue and the support of his advisors. In the Syria case, despite Trump's clear desire to withdraw troops, his national security team successfully delayed and obstructed the order by exploiting the president's inexperience and the complexities of military operations. The paper concludes that organizational dynamics and bureaucratic politics can effectively hinder the policy ambitions of an unconventional president who lacks the skill to direct large, complex organizations and delegate oversight, potentially impacting both human security and national security outcomes.
School Authors: Aaron Mannes