The image is becoming clearer as the world witnesses a dramatic shift in the relationship between the greatest and most powerful nation in history - the United States of America - and the rest of the world. Surprisingly, the countries closest to the USA have been the most affected, including NATO members, Canada, and Mexico! I am not sure when it will be our turn. This confirms the saying attributed (though incorrectly) to the late US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”
The “earthquake” began with America canceling trade agreements with its two major neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and even changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico - a move that has disrupted geographical and electronic entities like Google, GPS, as well as countries and institutions involved. It was also shocking to dozens of countries and thousands of entities when President Trump immediately halted the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) without any prior warning, leaving millions of people without shelter after freezing all American aid to poor countries. The world was further stunned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement that the unipolar world order had ended and we were now facing a multipolar world, composed of many major powers.
According to Rubio, the post-World War II world order must be abandoned because it had become a tool against America’s best interests. In addition to the actions mentioned above, America raised tariffs on its closest allies as well as China. Such a series of moves signals that America, in Trump’s own words, no longer wishes to play the role of the sole conductor of the global stage. Nevertheless, it will remain a universal superpower, though no longer the indispensable one. Perhaps this marks the beginning of the American empire’s decline, or at the very least, accelerates its shrinkage as it focuses on internal interests, abandons its global role, and leaves room for other countries to expand and dominate. A war like the “Liberation of Kuwait” in 1991 is unlikely to be seen in the foreseeable future.
With a businessman’s mindset, President Trump concluded that maintaining America’s hegemony was too costly. On the other hand, abandoning the role of global policeman allows America to act as freely as other countries, attacking whoever it wants, annexing or buying the countries and parties it needs, and becoming even more aggressive than before. There will be no restrictions or commitments binding America to any ally or friend after it voluntarily gave up its leading role while retaining its place as a superpower. The public humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House is perhaps the clearest evidence that this scenario is valid.
This American stance and the dangerous global transformations disprove the alleged belief that the policies of countries, especially major ones, remain unchanged with the election of a new president or leader. The claim of an “invisible power” or secret force controlling countries and deciding policies for elected presidents has been refuted. Trump’s shocking and successive decisions have exposed the invalidity of this theory. He has turned the tables on everyone, damaged America’s relationships with all its former allies, and stopped financial and military support for NATO. We do not know when our turn, as Gulf countries, will come or how we can mitigate the coming shock. This may be the subject of a future article.
By Ahmad alsarraf
e-mail: [email protected]
