As the world finally pushes back against the aggressive foreign policy of US President Donald Trump, this past week may have marked a turning point in global affairs. Trump’s threats to seize the territory of Greenland, whether by force or extortion, have united America’s traditional allies in Europe against his unilateral and unpredictable actions.
The US president’s “board of peace” proposal, unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos, was widely seen as an attempt to supplant the post-1945 international architecture with a Trump-dominated club, where decision-making power would lie in his hands even after his term expires. With Russian President Vladimir Putin invited but Bank of England Governor Mark Carney excluded, the true nature of this initiative was laid bare.
Trump’s actions have shattered the illusion that he is merely an aberration, and that the old order will simply resume once he leaves office. Over the past year, the US president has demonstrated an ability to sweep aside the formal restraints designed to hold a president in check. This has led to the sobering realisation that it is not just Trump, but the US itself that has become an unreliable ally, if not an outright foe, of its longtime friends.
In response, a new constellation of western democracies, led by the European Union, the UK, and Canada, is beginning to take shape. As former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers has noted, the world is transitioning from one of “institutions and rules” to one of “strongmen and deals.” Rather than competing to accommodate the US hegemon, these “middle powers” are seeking to “combine to create a third path,” as former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney eloquently articulated in Davos.
This path will not be easy or immediate, as the countries involved remain dependent on US military protection. However, the work must begin now to build a new alliance capable of defending itself and its interests without relying on an unpredictable and increasingly belligerent United States. For Labour leader Keir Starmer and others, this presents both challenges and opportunities, as they navigate the shifting geopolitical landscape.
The world we once knew is dying, but a new one is waiting to be born. The emergence of this new western alliance, driven by necessity in the face of Trump’s bullying tactics, may ultimately prove to be a positive development, strengthening the resolve and independence of America’s traditional partners.
