Flapping the leader in Ukrainians, Donald Trump is more clear than ever that he cares more about power than his friends.
Over the 80 years since World War II, the United States sought to lead the world order by promoting international regulations and ensuring the security of democracies in Europe and East Asia.
The self-proclaimed “leader of the free world,” the US president has dropped or weakened support for dependents, including in Afghanistan, South Vietnam.
Still, there were few precedents for dramatic, camera ruptures in the oval office on Friday. There, President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance played Voldymi Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, who had relied on Western support to withstand the Russian invasion for three years.
Vance denounced Zelensky’s billions of dollars of Intratiturity in US aid, and Trump pisses the spotlight on the weaknesses of his US allies, angeringly saying, “You don’t have a card.”
A few days ago, Trump declared that he was taking a “decisive break” in past US foreign policy. He says he is “silly” and is in charge of “deaths of many people.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on the United States to act like Russia and China when it first pursues its own interests. This is in contrast to former President Joe Biden.
– “Deep Shift” in Democracy –
Trump has long described NATO allies as freeloaded trade competitors from the US military, but last week he expressed support for the alliance’s mutual defense commitment.
He hailed Vladimir Putin, who has served as the president or prime minister of Russia for 25 years, but laughed at Zelensky as a “dictator” for not holding elections since the invasion.
Trump has also refused to eliminate military forces to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal, saying that the US should take what it wants, unlike Russia.
The Washington democracy advocate “was accused of hypocrisy, but now there is no even a pretense of the US supporting these values,” says European director Max Bergman, the Strategic International Studies Program in Russia and Eurasia.
“I think that’s a really bad thing for new democracies, democratic movements, and human rights around the world. So I think this is a really deep change in the international global order,” he said.
Bergman said Trump also offers a “real opening” that rivals China.
“The US has been trying to convince the country that when you do business with China, China can betray you,” Bergman said.
“Well, here’s the United States is essentially the ultimate betrayal, or it’s all about switching sides completely and stopping to support democracy in the war.”
– Message about Taiwan? –
European leaders immediately spoke about strengthening their defense without the United States. German Foreign Minister Analena Bearbock said “the infamous new age has begun” after the “unspeakable” scene at the White House.
Among the places that are the biggest shocking are former Soviet bloc countries that have enthusiastically joined NATO as protection against Moscow, and Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing advocated.
Trump said Monday that the Chinese invasion would be “devastating” as Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC announced a $100 billion investment in the US.
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund, said Taiwan “has a reason to be nervous.” Unlike Ukraine, which is supported by almost all of Europe, Taiwan relies solely on the US for weapons.
But she said that economic interests made the situation different and pointed to Taiwan’s impact as the world’s most important chipmaker and key investors.
In his Trump-to-Zelensky words, “Taiwan has cards,” Glaser said, but the US president himself said Monday that TSMC’s deal could reduce that slightly.
Joshua Robner, a political scientist at American University, said Trump actually raised the US military level on the continent, despite criticizing Europe, as part of his strategy and uncertainty as part of his strategy.
“Trump’s language can be interpreted in millions of different ways,” Rovner said.
“What really matters is what he does in the end with the US military.”
SCT/ST
