On the occasion of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Project Syndicate published a commentary stating that Trump¡¯s return to the White House is about to make American international leadership disappear.

¡÷ Screenshot of the World Newspaper Syndicate website

The Trump phenomenon is no coincidence.

The article recalls that after World War II, the United States has long been the pillar of the western world and rules and order. But after Trump took office, the situation changed fundamentally. The author bluntly said, "The United States led by Trump is not worthy and should not be trusted".

The article said Trump openly disregarded allies; denied global climate action, depicting it as ¡°a conspiracy by foreign capitalists and activists to loot American wealth¡±; and disregarded international law and global trade rules, seriously questioning American leadership.

¡÷ Screenshot of the World Newspaper Syndicate website

The article further analyzes that the Trump phenomenon is not accidental, but caused by long-term accumulated problems in the United States. Between 1980 and 2022, U.S. GDP per capita doubled, but median real household income grew by less than 25%. According to the article, successive Republican governments have repeatedly cut taxes for the rich, claiming that the "trickle-down effect" will benefit the public, but the reality is that industries are hollowed out, manufacturing jobs are lost, and the economic security of many workers is destroyed.

The article argues that even if the Democrats regain control of the White House in 2029, populist forces will continue to shape American politics.In this context, U.S. policies will continue to turn in the wrong direction, further eroding U.S. global leadership.

The potential of "backbone"

The article claims that in the context of the decline of U.S. leadership, U.S. Western partners should fill the gaps left by the U.S. The group includes the EU27 countries, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, among the developed middle powers. Their total population is close to 700 million, twice as much as the U.S., and the economy is about $29 trillion, equivalent to the U.S.

If this group can coordinate its actions, it can not only strengthen the coding in the US negotiations, but also provide global public goods independently to fill the vacuum left by the U.S. recession.

Three main directions

The author also outlined three key tasks in the text:

Safeguard the multilateral system. In the face of Trump's "tariff stick", the "backbone" should stand up to safeguard the global trading system and international law and avoid the collapse of the international order.

Handle relations with China pragmatically. The article stated that western "backbone countries" should seek pragmatic cooperation with China on global issues such as climate change.

On the Gaza issue, Trump unconditionally supports Israeli military operations and strikes on civilians, while France, Spain, the UK, Canada, Australia and other countries have begun to recognize the Palestinian state, showing a tendency to divide with U.S. policy and highlight its value of independence.

These countries need to consolidate strategic consensus to replace dependence on the United States with cooperation, and work together with regional organizations through multilateral cooperation to create a multipolar and more robust international order, rather than duplicate U.S. hegemony.

Source: General Information Radio