In-Person Lectures
Spring Series 2026
Olivier Courteaux
The World According to Donald Trump
Presented by Olivier Courteaux
Tuesdays, March 24 to May 5, 2026
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
To be offered as in-person lectures ONLY
Neither online lectures nor recordings will be available for this in-person series.
Location: Burnhamthorpe Community Centre, Applewood Hills Room
1500 Gulleden Dr., Mississauga. (Vicinity of Burnhamthorpe Rd. E. and Dixie Rd.)
Times
9:30 am Doors Open
10:00 am Lecture
11:00 am Refreshment break
11:20 am Q & A
12:00 pm Conclusion
Venue In-person lecture presentations only. Online and recorded sessions will not be available.
Cost $50 per person for this seven-lecture series
Registration begins on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and tickets will be on sale until Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 11:50 p.m. However, it will be possible to register ONLY for the entire seven-week series and not for individual lectures or a partial lecture series.
Donald Trump’s approach to global affairs has challenged many of the assumptions that shaped American foreign policy for decades. His emphasis on sovereignty, leverage, and transactional relationships marks a sharp break from the post‑1945 consensus and has forced allies and rivals alike to rethink how they engage with the United States.
This course examines the core principles behind Trump’s worldview and the ways in which it reshapes alliances, trade, regional strategies and the broader international order. By placing his approach within longer historical and geopolitical trends, this series offers a framework for understanding how American power is evolving – and what this means for Canada, Europe and the future of global stability.
24 March 2026 – The Trump Doctrine: Principles, Instincts and Strategic Disruption
An introduction to the core ideas that shape Trump’s approach to the world: transactionalism, sovereignty, skepticism toward alliances and the primacy of national interest. This session sets the conceptual framework for the rest of the series.
31 March 2026 – America First: Redefining U.S. Power and Global Leadership
A study of how “America First” reorients U.S. engagement with the world. We examine shifts in diplomacy, trade and multilateralism, and how this approach challenges long‑standing assumptions about American leadership.
7 April 2026 – Allies and Adversaries: Rethinking the Architecture of Alliances
This lecture explores Trump’s approach to NATO, Europe and traditional partners, alongside his posture toward strategic competitors. It highlights how his worldview tests the resilience of alliances and forces other states to reconsider their own strategic autonomy.
14 April 2026 – Trade Wars and Economic Nationalism
A deep dive into tariffs, renegotiated trade agreements and the use of economic pressure as a geopolitical tool. We look at how Trump’s economic nationalism reshapes global supply chains and challenges the norms of free‑trade orthodoxy.
21 April 2026 – The Middle East, Asia and the Search for Leverage
An examination of Trump’s regional strategies, from the Indo‑Pacific to the Middle East. This session focuses on how his administration uses unpredictability, bilateralism and pressure tactics to pursue U.S. interests.
28 April 2026 – Communication, Media and the Performance of Power
This lecture analyzes Trump’s use of communication – from rallies to social media – as an instrument of foreign policy. We explore how messaging, spectacle and narrative shape perceptions of American power at home and abroad.
5 May 2024 – The Future of the International Order: What Trump Reveals About the 21st Century
A concluding reflection on what Trump’s worldview tells us about the evolution of global politics: the crisis of multilateralism, the return of great‑power competition and the growing tension between sovereignty and interdependence. We consider how other states, including Canada and Europe, are adapting to this shifting landscape.
Olivier Courteaux is a historian and international relations specialist trained at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, where he earned a B.A. in history, an M.A. in war and conflict studies, and a Ph.D. in contemporary international relations, shaping an expertise that bridges military conflict and international diplomacy.
He has taught at York University’s Glendon College, U of T, Toronto Metropolitan University and the Royal Military College of Canada, and is known for bringing clarity and narrative depth to complex global issues.
Olivier is the author of The War on Terror: The Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940–1945 (2013) and Four Days That Rocked Quebec (2017). He is currently completing his fourth book, Suez, 1869: The Last Triumph of the Empress Eugénie, a study that revisits the opening of the Suez Canal through the lens of imperial ambition, diplomacy and the twilight of a remarkable reign.