As the world stood on the verge of globalization, spreading to a larger number of adherents, in 2016, the election of Donald Trump in the USA and Brexit by the UK shook the liberal world and its friends as never in a century before.
The changes which have since emerged in the world have knocked the stuffing out of established relationships. The predictability of friends and their reactions in an international context has been shaken and stirred. Today, every country is seeking to create some stability and predictability in their foreign engagements but are finding it difficult to do so. The reason is that the Trump Presidency has introduced a definite unpredictability in their own priorities and reactions. Due to this, the allies and friends of the USA are more affected than many of its adversaries.
The Trump foreign policy is geared to achieve the America first policy. Under this, the USA has sought to prioritise its vision of US interests. It scrapped / re-negotiated trade agreements that they were into and abandoned some global institutions. It is very unilateral and brings the USA back into its own arena without much concern with the world that they had contributed to building after World War II. Thus, the trade battle with the NAFTA partners and with Europe’s TTIP partners led to the US withdrawing from TTIP and renegotiating the NAFTA. They also pulled out of the TPP leaving many Asian allies gasping and ultimately carrying on because too much had been undertaken already. Many among the Trump advisors believe that the world’s institutions are obsolete and need overhauling or don’t meet the US interests. The Paris Climate Change agreement for one, UNESCO for another, and the UN Human Rights Council for a third.
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