How Trump blew up the world order - and left Europe scrabbling
www.bbc.co.uk
This is the gravest crisis for Western security since the end of World War Two. So which nations will step forward as the new world order emerges?

“Donald Trump is the first US President since World War Two to challenge the role that his country set for itself many decades ago. And he is doing this in such a way that, to many, the old world order appears to be over - and the new world order has yet to take shape.

The question is, which nations will step forward? And, with the security of Europe under greater strain than at any time almost in living memory, can its leaders, who are currently scrabbling around, find an adequate response?”

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.caEnglish
    261·
    5 days ago

    Donald Trump is the first US President since World War Two to challenge the role that his country set for itself many decades ago.

    Keywords here are “set for itself”, despite what Americans like to say about other countries depending on their leadership.

    They conveniently ignore that at the time the US voluntarily took that role Europe was completely torn apart and destroyed, while the US had the luxury of sitting out most of the war with that ‘big, beautiful ocean’ apart, which Trump is so proud of. And no neighbors posing any kind of threat. They helped indirectly at first, sure, but only really jumped in at the end, after the war had made it to US shores through Pearl Harbor.

    Let’s not pretend the US hasn’t benefitted massively from its prestigious position, setting its currency as the world trade currency, NATO article 5 post 9/11, lack of proper taxation by Europe on US digital products and services we consume, and the list goes on and on.

    The US is absolutely and objectively not a poor victim here. As much as they like to pretend it. They were allowed to prosper because the world chose to follow their desires. And a leader without followers is just a delusional guy in an echo chamber.

    You don’t get to crave leadership, protagonism and glory, and at the same time complain about others relying on you. You can’t be both a hero and a victim at once. You don’t get to have it both ways.