The global order that America helped to build is crumbling

Tobias Ellwood, The Independent

As we search for clues about America’s future, Piers Morgan and other allies of Donald Trump insist that we should judge him “by his actions, not his words”. But we’ve now witnessed more than enough action to understand what it all means. The pieces of the Trump puzzle are clear enough to reveal the bigger picture — one so shocking and consequential that few dare to speak out. If we stitch together Trump’s actions, the narrative he is spinning, and the demands he is now making, a troubling vision emerges. Gone is any sense of national duty to uphold or repair the crumbling global order that America and Britain once helped to build.

Gone is any loyalty to traditional allies and alliances. The paralysis of institutions such as the UN Security Council and the World Trade Organisation is accelerating the collapse of globalisation. Trump sees the dawn of a new era where nations fend for themselves. In this vision, the old international order is cast aside. The Bretton Woods system is viewed as outdated baggage, and power is redistributed through regional spheres of influence: a world of chaos — a jungle, if you like — where a few dominant beasts rule their territories with brute strength. Under this logic, Greenland and Panama fall under America’s domain. Ukraine, on the other hand, is left to Russia. Meanwhile, Europe, Canada and Mexico are now seen as economic competitors. If trade deals cannot be struck on terms that overwhelmingly favour America, then expect tariffs.

To make this new global disorder function, Vladimir Putin must be rehabilitated, and Russia must be reintegrated into the international fold. Sanctions must be lifted, and deals must be made. This is why no senior Trump official will explicitly acknowledge that Russia started the war. This is why America voted with Russia, against Ukraine, at the UN. This is why the US has cut critical military aid to Ukraine.

Trumpism is a blend of economic nationalism and ruthless protectionism, pursued through confrontation — whether with allies or adversaries. It is rooted in the belief that self-interest reigns supreme, and that America can act with impunity, assuming that few will resist and that the country will grow wealthier, stronger and more resilient as a result. But it won’t.

One can only wonder what Ronald Reagan would think of America’s trajectory today. This is not the American way. While historically inclined toward isolationism, the US has long balanced this tendency with a commitment to global security and free trade — pillars that have upheld one of the longest periods of peace and prosperity in modern history. To abandon these commitments now is reckless.

For Britain and Europe, the geopolitical impact is profound. As the prime minister stated in Parliament this week, we have entered a “new era of insecurity”. Europe’s entire defence posture now requires urgent rethinking. We must prepare for an America that is pulling back militarily from Europe and — unthinkably — aligning itself more closely with Russian interests than with European ones. Trump claims to seek peace, but it is peace on Russia’s terms. We must not be under any illusions: any such deal would merely give Russia time to rebuild its war machine, only to pursue an even wider conflict down the road — this time, without the threat of US-led Nato intervention holding it back.

More broadly, the world is already splintering into two camps — the West versus China, backed by a growing number of states that openly reject the fragile global order we have long taken for granted. If Europe and America are not aligned — as China challenges the US for technological, economic and military dominance — then it is difficult to rule out the possibility of a world once again at war.