The UCI School of Social Sciences hosted a panel on Feb. 24 about foreign policies projected by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Department of Political Science and Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies (CGPACS) co-sponsored the event, allowing students to express concerns about conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, tariffs, trade, security, migration and more.
Heidi Hardt, a UCI associate professor of political science, led the event and introduced the panelists: Erin Lockwood, a UCI assistant professor of political science; Kamal Sadiq, a CGPACS associate professor of political science; Sergii Glebov, a visiting professor from Odesa Mechnikov National University; and Daphne Inbar, a teaching fellow at the Israel Institute. The panel allowed students and attendees to submit index cards with their questions for the panelists to answer.
The Trump administration looks to implement a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% additional tariff on imports from China, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to manage “the extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl.”
Lockwood discussed tariffs, while Sadiq addressed issues in South and Southeast Asia. According to Sadiq, many Asian countries are concerned about potential cuts to USAID foreign aid, which could lead to underfunded programs.
Glebov spoke about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, along with Trump’s influence.
“So, what we’re watching today is what is called ‘bromance,’ when Trump and Putin, like ‘bros,’ are trying to decide the destiny of the world,” Glebov said at the panel.
Many students expressed concern over the Trump administration’s claims and verbiage. Inbar analyzed Trump’s statement on the U.S. Gaza takeover plan and criticized the lack of coordination in those plans.
The UCI student body has several political advocacy groups focused on foreign affairs, including Model United Nations at UCI (MUN), Amnesty International at UCI and Students for Justice in Palestine at UCI. These organizations aim to spread knowledge and make an impact on foreign policy discussions.
According to Karley Dinh, vice president of communications and external outreach for MUN, the organization teaches students how real United Nations conferences function. MUN members expressed a range of concerns and reactions to the Trump administration’s foreign policies.
Dinh also voiced concern about the administration’s objectives. She explained her perspective on the projected U.S. foreign policy regarding tariffs in uncertainty.
“If we impose tariffs, I don’t know what the cost of living and the inflation rates in the U.S. [are] going to be for the next six months or year,” Dinh told New University. “Because we all know that the price for eggs [and] milk are going up, or the cost of automobiles or other transportation are going up because we import a lot.”
Third-year computer science student Lukas Hu shared a similar perspective on tariffs.
“It was definitely a little bit of a shock,” Hu told New University. “America is one of the closest trade partners [of Canada and Mexico] … I don’t understand why, I guess, Trump would want to [put tariffs] on Mexico.”
MUN’s head delegate, Kareem Shaheen, also acknowledged the uncertainty of the future with the introduction of these foreign policies.
“It feels like a joke at the moment. I don’t know, but for the most part, it seems that, bipartisanly, everyone has some level of confusion,” Shaheen told New University. “I’ve noticed some level of confusion when it comes to the rationale behind these decisions.”
He also commented on foreign policies pertaining to immigration.
“It feels very xenophobic when I read the language. The verbiage of it was very much between Articles II and V … predicated that undocumented people have a higher propensity towards violence and committing violent action,” Shaheen said. “[But] I believe research shows something quite contradictory to that.”
Hu also shared his opinion on Trump’s Feb. 28 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader traveled to Washington to sign a deal with Trump but left after the two engaged in a “heated session.”
“I did see on the news … Zelenskyy meeting with the president and the vice president,” Hu said. “I thought that was definitely high tension, yeah. Just seemed a bit unprofessional.”
Hardt moderated the Q&A portion of the panel, during which attendees expressed concern for the Trump administration’s constitutional aspects. One attendee asked Hardt why students should believe that “President Trump has any interest in committing to following the law. “
“So, for example, tomorrow, if Trump said we’re pulling out of NATO, would we expect Congress to actually do anything?” Hardt said at the panel. “The Trump administration, not just for NATO but in other international organizations … has a lot of different tools for exercising influence and blocking different decisions without actually withdrawing.”
Students also asked about a possible future reordering of South Asia. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali. The decree renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and Denali’s name reverted back to “Mount McKinley,” reversing former President Barack Obama’s designation of the traditional Native Alaskan name.
The renaming of these landmarks left students questioning whether the Trump administration plans on renaming or reordering anything else. Many attendees ultimately voiced concern over the extent of the president’s executive power.
Towards the end of the panel, students wondered where to find positivity within the international political climate. Lockwood commended the bravery it takes to ponder pessimistic aspects of the world, while an attendee insisted on focusing on the positive aspects. Students nodded in agreement with the attendee’s comment, as they also wanted some good news to focus on.
“For me, I’m an international student, and I don’t know what it’s going to be like after my graduation because these policies keep changing,” Dinh said. “We keep saying, ‘Be positive, be yourself,’ [but] your mental health [should be] on top of that.”
Amnesty International at UCI and Students for Justice in Palestine at UCI were unavailable for comment.
For more on foreign policy, students can contact UCI’s CGPACS Center or follow @munatuci for updates and events.
Alyssa Villagonzalo is a Features Apprentice for the winter 2025 quarter. She can be reached at akvillag@uci.edu.
Edited by Sofia Feeney and Jaheem Conley.