The votes are in. The election is over. Donald J. Trump is the next president of the United States. 

In the months leading up to election night, we here at Stratfor focused our attentions on substance, not style. We have discussed the challenges facing the next U.S. president, opined on the disappointments of democracy and deconstructed the rising trend of populism.

In response to reader queries earlier in the election season, before either candidate had received their respective parties' nominations, we explained why we don't cover U.S. elections. The president exists in a space he does not control, operating in a system with constraints both foreign and domestic. Leaders are typically shaped by their environments, not the other way around.

So now, with the election settled, we look ahead. Trump will enter the Oval Office with a Congress controlled by the Republican Party. Conflicts converging throughout the world will demand the attention — and strategic vision — of the president and his administration. 

This election is as much a test for democracy as it is for political theory. Although the U.S. presidency steers foreign policy, we believe that the checks and balances in the country's system will constrain dramatic swings.

Expect Stratfor to be watching closely for emerging trends. In the meantime, we invite you to explore what we have written thus far, paywall-free, for the next 48 hours. This includes our latest piece, The Rhetoric and Reality of Donald Trump's Foreign Policy.

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