US President Donald Trump's unpredictability is arguably his most recognizable feature. Because of it, it is hard to know what he will do in the short-term. Some say this unpredictability is a good asset for foreign policy, as enemies of the US will have a hard time predict the Trump administration's next move.
Soderberg argued, however, that unpredictability could be an asset, if, "in the end, a person does something smart." She pointed out that Trump's team still lacks coherent policies on a number of topics.
"They don't have a replacement for Obamacare, the policy towards Russia, their trade deals are open to question, and [Donald Trump's] cabinet contradicted most of his statements."
According to Soderberg, the Trump administration will have to sort these issues "in very tough negotiations internally," before engaging in negotiations with those outside of their circle.
The next four to six months, sho opined, will be marked by "truly chaotic efforts" as the President must not only outline his policies, but also find a way to push them through Congress.
"No one knows which way he is going to go. So far all indications are he's gonna try to undo the legacy of Barack Obama on healthcare, immigration, some criminal justice issues and trade. And trying to do this is very difficult," she said, pointing out that Trump's team will have some "real fighting… trying to figure out what works and what doesn't."
Soderberg predicted that the main fight will be between Trump's National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, whom she described as "quite an ideologue," and Secretaries of State and Defense (Rex Tillerson and James Mattis, respectively), who are "quite reasonable and understand the world."
"It's going to be a very, very interesting six months," she said.
