Introduction
Under President Donald Trump, the United States is attempting to establish a world order dominated solely by spheres of interest controlled by the “Big Three” global powers: the U.S., China, and Russia. This endeavor requires dismantling the traditional foundations of U.S. influence, including its network of alliances rooted in democratic values for over 250 years.
The Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy
Trump’s foreign policy leans towards “following the money,” but his MAGA ideology (“Make America Great Again”) also plays a role in this dark vision. Trump and his MAGA movement view Europe as the second major battleground to conquer, after the U.S., necessitating the disintegration of the European Union.
Historical Context
Post-World War II, the U.S. emerged as a leading victor in both European and Pacific theaters, later defeating the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This wasn’t merely a nuclear arms race between two superpowers but also a competition between socioeconomic and normative systems. The Western combination of individual liberty, democracy, and market economy stood against the Soviet Union’s single-party police state and its rigidly planned economy. There was a clear choice between two alternatives, with the U.S. model ultimately prevailing.
The Soviet Union crumbled, dissolved, and vanished, leaving behind a Russian remnant unable to accept a post-imperial identity, thus becoming increasingly revisionist.
Trump’s Imperial Ambitions
With Trump’s election and re-election, Americans signaled their weariness with being the world’s policeman. Europe’s significant failure since the end of the Cold War has been its reluctance to shoulder more defense responsibility, essential for preserving sovereignty. From the Kremlin’s perspective, Europe’s vulnerability presented an opportunity.
The new U.S. security strategy, along with Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine (largely supporting Russia’s maximalist positions), leaves no room for doubt about the U.S. government’s objectives.
Trump and his MAGA followers view the EU as an anti-American project to be destroyed, turning former friends and allies into adversaries. Russia under Vladimir Putin serves as an admired example.
Consequences of Trump’s Policies
Through these stances, Trump has practically dismantled the transatlantic West. Instead, he’s crafting an imperial U.S., mirroring Russia and increasingly China’s imperialist dreams. In this new world order, brute force, not the rule of law, matters.
In pursuing this vision, Trump’s actions echo George Orwell’s prophetic warnings in his dystopian novel 1984. In Orwell’s world, the globe is divided among three continental powers. Trump has turned traditional U.S. democratic values into obstacles to eliminate while foreign authoritarian regimes become models to emulate.
Potential Repercussions
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine (and by extension, Europe) and siding with Putin might seem like a way to enlist Russia against China. However, Putin won’t comply. He understands that without Chinese support, Russia is too weak to maintain its precarious great power status. Both nations seek a world order restructuring at the U.S.’s expense, and Trump will fail; the only question is the cost of his failure.
It should be evident that destroying the transatlantic West will weaken the U.S. Trump and his MAGA followers may believe in U.S. self-sufficiency, but they’re mistaken. The U.S. needs Europe as much as Europe needs the U.S. Trump’s strategy is self-sabotage.
Betraying America’s historical allies won’t sway Putin towards peace; instead, it will embolden him further. Intoxicated by his victory over the West in Ukraine, he’ll start planning his westward advance. A ceasefire on his terms is merely a tactical pause.
The risk of war’s extension is already growing along Eurasia’s main axes: between China and Japan in the Far East, via Taiwan, and on NATO’s eastern flank. Challenging times lie ahead, and Europe must prepare. Its weak growth and inability to keep pace with China and the U.S. in technology exacerbate this dangerous geopolitical crisis; the gap must be closed. The cost of safeguarding sovereignty may be high, but Europe’s freedom is priceless.
About the Author
Joschka Fischer, Germany’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was one of the German Green Party’s leading figures for nearly two decades.
Copyright
Project Syndicate, 1995 – 2026
www.project-syndicate.org
