WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. presidents typically give at least lip service to being the leader of the free world, holding the reins of the nation. strong democracy and a military that can rally around allies around the world and reasonably rely on support in return.
That is not the case under President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized many existing U.S. alliances. second term victory This week, Europe’s close partners called for a new era of self-reliance that doesn’t depend on American goodwill.
French: “We must not entrust our security to the United States forever” President Emmanuel Macron said this at the European Summit. Thursday.
Based on President Trump’s first term and campaign statements, the United States will become more unpredictable, more chaotic, and colder toward allies and allies. warm to some strong peopleand choosing friends around the world has become much more transactional than before. America’s place in world affairs And national security will fundamentally change, both Trump’s critics and supporters say.
His supporters argue that he will simply be more cautious about alliances and fights with the United States than previous presidents.
When it comes to America’s role on the world stage, we no longer need to talk about America as the leader of the free world, said Fiona Hill, a former Russian adviser to President Donald Trump and former U.S. president.
Perhaps “The Free World, His Leadership”? Hill suggested in a recent article European Council on Foreign Relations Podcast. “I mean, what are we going to lead here?”
President Trump has shown varying degrees of consistency. critical of NATO and Assistance to Ukraine and Taiwan, two threatened democracies that rely on U.S. military assistance to counter Russia and China.
President Trump has shown little interest in the United States’ long-standing role as the anchor of strategic alliances with democracies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Even before the election, partners and opponents were already Reevaluate your security posture In preparation for President Trump’s return.
In particular, European allies stepped up efforts to build their own and regional defenses rather than relying on European countries. The United States as an anchor of NATOabout the Mutual Defense Agreement, which both Mr. Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, spoke scathingly about. Within hours of Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the defense chiefs of France and Germany scheduled a meeting to address the fallout.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau The Cabinet Special Committee was revived. He mentioned Canada-U.S. relations to address concerns about Trump becoming president again. Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister and current ambassador to the United States, is the Australian government’s investor in the US defense partnership. Old tweet deleted That included calling President Trump “the most destructive president in American history.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin They appear to be shaping their war strategy with the hope that President Trump will allow them more freedom.
Victoria Coates, Trump’s national security adviser during his first term, rejected any of the allegations. portray him as an isolationist.
“I think he’s very wise about the application of the U.S. military and the potential for us to get into conflicts that we can’t resolve,” she said recently on a security podcast.
As evidence of global engagement, Coates pointed to: President Trump’s support for Israel as wages War with Iranian-backed armed groups in Gaza and Lebanon.
She called Iran’s nuclear program the “biggest concern” abroad and suggested the implications of progress toward a possible nuclear weapon. Trump may need to act more forcefully more than in his first term, when he ramped up sanctions on Iran in what he called a “maximum pressure” campaign.
Mr. Trump, for a long time. Open admirer of Putinhas been the most consistent in pointing to support for Ukraine as a possible policy change.
Philip Breedlove, a former Air Force general and top NATO commander, said he sees both positive expectations and deep concerns for Ukraine and NATO over the next four years under the Trump administration.
Breedlove said President Trump’s often harsh NATO rhetoric during his first administration did not lead to an actual reduction in U.S. troops in Europe or a decline in support for the alliance. and 23 NATO countries spend at least 2%. Defense spending is up 10 percent of gross domestic product compared to 2020, helping counter President Trump’s persistent complaints.
Even more concerning, Breedlove said, is that President Trump has vowed to immediately end the war in Ukraine.
While that goal is noble, “ending the war on the right terms is one thing. Surrendering to the enemy to stop the conflict is another thing. That’s what worries me.” said Breedlove.
They warn that ending the war by giving Russia additional territory in Ukraine would set a bad precedent. European countries fear Putin will be emboldened to follow in their footsteps.
So do supporters of democratically run Taiwan, which China has vowed to one day annex by force if necessary. Mr. Trump has made various statements. Taiwan should pay defense aid to the US He claimed he could charm Chinese President Xi Jinping into not threatening Taiwan.
“One of the things that worries me about President Trump over the Taiwan Strait is that he relies on unpredictability, that he seems like a chaotic actor in a delicately balanced situation. It’s about being dependent on being,” said Associate Professor Paul Nadeau. Studied international affairs and political science at Temple University Japan Campus.
The world President Trump faces is also changing, with Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China increasingly coming together. loose and opportunistic alliances To counter Western powers, especially the United States
In areas where the United States has withdrawn, Russia, China, and sometimes Iran are rapidly expanding their influence, including in the Middle East.
During his first term, President Trump repeatedly pledged to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq and Syria, sometimes blindsided Pentagon officials with sudden statements and tweets that left officials groping for answers.
Those plans were delayed due to opposition from some Republican lawmakers and counterproposals from U.S. military leaders, including a proposal that some U.S. troops remain in Syria to protect oil resources. The United States still has about 900 troops in Syria, which could be sharply reduced under the Trump administration.
of The number of US troops in Iraq is already decreasing. Based on a new agreement between the Biden administration and Baghdad. The plan would end the U.S.-led coalition’s combat mission Islamic State group By next year, it is likely to move at least some US troops to northern Iraq to help fight IS in Syria.
President Trump’s first term, followed by President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, became preoccupied with unsuccessful efforts toward a ceasefire in the Middle East, but allies already had to rely on their own militaries and small regional alliances. has begun to increase its military power.
“When you factor it into the equation, the United States will be less of a presence on the world stage than it was before,” Hill said. “There can’t be a more dangerous dependency on what’s happening in Washington, D.C.”
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Didi Tan and Tara Kopp in Washington and Ayaka McGill in Tokyo contributed.
