Call for Papers: Articulating the Trump Corollary
The publication of the National Security Strategy on December 4, 2025 represents an important demarcation from an America ruled by the liberal international consensus of the late 20th century, to the neoclassical international order of the 21st century.
This shift demolishes nearly all the load-bearing pillars of the longstanding Washington defense and foreign policy establishment. The NSS restores our focus on the criticality of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The NSS regrounds our relationship with Europe on civilizational grounds. The NSS realistically assesses our geopolitical competition with China.
This shift also revitalizes long dormant strategic paradigms. From the vital tradition of the Monroe Doctrine to the prescient work of Emer de Vattel, history has returned in force.
This bold new frontier requires intellectual work to articulate and forge a path through the many complex strategic implications of such a shift.
Importantly, this moment requires a new generation of thinkers. Thinkers that are unafraid of this transition and willing to engage seriously with what it entails for the fate of the United States, the future of geopolitical competition, and the survival of the West.
This project begins with our home and the central focus of the NSS, the Western Hemisphere.
To this end, the Defense Analyses and Research Corporation (DARC) is announcing a call for papers that elaborates, extends, and debates the many intricacies of the Trump Corollary, and the new enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine that it contemplates. These papers will anchor an invite-only colloquium on these topics, to be held in Washington DC in late January 2026.
We specifically seek papers that address the following questions, though are open to other topics connected to these issues:
The Trump Corollary necessitates US dominance over strategically important locations in the Americas, which in many cases will require the turning back of existing Chinese control. How should US influence be expanded, and Chinese influence be reduced?
How does the Trump Corollary reshape what is necessary in the force structure of the American military, particularly with regards to naval assets? What is required for a more agile and widely deployed presence that can deal with the numerous grey-zone activities in the hemisphere?
Is the New Monroe Doctrine fundamentally defensive, seeking to build the Western Hemisphere into an impregnable fortress for American interests? If so, what are necessary elements for the construction of such a fortress? How does this impact how we think about supply chains?
How does the New Monroe Doctrine address and think about the influence and power of transnational criminal groups in the region? How might the strategic commitments in the NSS reshape standing international norms in place? Should we place mines in the Darien Gap?
What does the assertion of an exclusive domain of hemispheric influence imply about the framework of international law? What should the law of nations look like in a world of multipolar competition? What is Neo-Vattelism, and why is it important?
How do the principles of “America First” align with the priorities articulated by the Trump Corollary? How does the principle of “enlist and expand” act as a guardrail on foreign entanglements?
We are seeking proposals submitted via this form no later than December 19, 2025, with drafts being completed by January 23, 2026. Honoraria will be $2,000 for a piece of approximately 2,000 to 4,000 words in length, though additional budget is available for more extensive work. Please reach out to contact@defenseanalyses.org or via DM @defenseanalyses with any questions.