In past decades, the United States could harden its policies without relinquishing its role as the ultimate guarantor of the post-World War II order. No more. While America’s retreat from global leadership was arguably a long time coming, Trump has now cemented and operationalized it. As he attempts to leverage the country’s hard-won influence to reap immediate rewards (not least for himself and his inner circle), he actively sabotages international cooperation and undermines the rule of law.
US trade policy is no longer a means of maximizing the shared benefits of openness, but rather an instrument of economic and geopolitical pressure. Alliances are assessed not according to intangible factors, such as shared values and geopolitical interests, but in terms of immediate returns. Cooperative frameworks focused on long-term stability and prosperity are being replaced by bilateral deals that reflect a narrow understanding of reciprocity. Strategic engagement, which blended hard and soft power, gave way to short-sighted coercion. The “shining city upon a hill” became the schoolyard bully.
This shift did not unfold in a vacuum. While responses to Trump’s foreign policy varied, most chose adaptation over confrontation. Some actors endured the blows they were dealt, in the hopes that Trump would not continue to target those who did not challenge him. Others balanced acceptance, even appeasement, with quiet efforts to build resilience. Countries like Brazil and India neither bowed to nor directly challenged Trump, seeking instead to preserve their autonomy and identify opportunities created by this new post-postwar order.
China took this a step further. Having long sought to decenter the West in international politics, Chinese leaders saw in the Trump-induced disruption of 2025 an opening: a world unsettled by America’s withdrawal from global leadership would be inclined to embrace a new champion of stability and continuity. By positioning itself accordingly, China has emerged as the principal beneficiary of the turmoil.
In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a Global Governance Initiative, based on the premise “that all countries, regardless of size, strength, and wealth,” must be “equal participants, decision-makers, and beneficiaries in global governance.” The GGI, together with the Global Development Initiative (2021), the Global Security Initiative (2022), and the Global Civilization Initiative (2023), sends a clear message: China wants to lead the way in creating a more stable, pluralistic global order capable of facilitating shared progress.
About the Author:
Ana Palacio, a former minister of foreign affairs of Spain and former senior vice president and general counsel of the World Bank Group, is a visiting lecturer at Georgetown University.