As the world marks one year since Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term as US President, it’s clear that his unconventional leadership has shaken the foundations of the post-war international system more than any of his predecessors since World War II.
From his unabashed embrace of the 19th century “manifest destiny” doctrine to his brazen threats to seize the territory of long-standing US allies, Trump has upended diplomatic norms and challenged the very pillars that have underpinned global stability for decades. His “America First” agenda has left America’s anxious allies scrambling to respond, unsure of how to handle an unpredictable commander-in-chief who seems to operate by his own set of rules.
The French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of a “shift towards a world without rules, where international law is trampled underfoot, and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest with imperial ambitions resurfacing.” Trump’s defenders, however, applaud his disregard for the post-war multilateral order, seeing it as a necessary course correction to advance US interests.
The president’s recent declaration that he wants to “own” Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has further stoked fears that he is willing to employ strong-arm tactics against longtime allies. This follows a pattern of Trump’s policy flip-flops and blustering threats, from his shifting stances on Russia to his boasts of forcing NATO members to increase defence spending.
As the world waits with bated breath for Trump’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the question looms: can America’s allies persuade, flatter or coerce the president to change course, or is the global order destined to be reshaped in Trump’s image? With the president himself asserting that the only thing that can stop him is “my own morality,” the future of the international system hangs in the balance.
