Amid Covid-19 Pandemic, President Trump issued an executive order on
April 22 temporarily banning some individuals from obtaining U.S.
permanent residency. Since assuming power, Donald Trump has shaken one
international arrangement after the other and followed the policy of
economic nationalism. He withdrew from the Trans-Pacific partnership
trade agreement, threatened to terminate NAFTA and slapped import
tariffs on U.S. allies. He abandoned the global Paris accord aimed at
curbing climate change. He scuttled the deal curbing Iran’s nuclear
ambitions and questioned Americas commitments to NATO and allies
encouraging even the dissolution of the European union. The global order
was already under strain. However, under Trump it has attained death
knell. The retreat from its traditional role sounds alarm for the entire
world.
The liberal international order is essentially a body of rules, norms
and institutions that govern international affairs. It encompasses
security, economic and human rights order. Washington was the founder of
this traditional order and anchored it for the past half century. With
Donald Trump coming to power, there has been a retreat of America’s
global commitments. Few observers have equated Donald Trump’s presidency
to policy of isolationism.
During the 1930’s isolationist sentiments persisted. Only after
Japanese attack on pearl harbor, the futility of placing ‘America first’
was realized. It seems that isolationism is back in vogue in U.S. with
Trump giving new vigor to the “America first rhetoric of interwar
sovereigntists.”
The Paris agreement has been seen in the same light. The deal which
is based on country’s voluntary commitments to cut their carbon
emissions violated American sovereignty according to Trump. Trumps
argument is certainly baseless and unfound. The Paris agreement is a
flexible arrangement consistent with the U.S. constitution. It does not mandate how the U.S. or any other party should go about fulfilling
this obligation. Rather each government submits its own individual,
nationally determined contribution to that joint effort.
The mission to put America first and abandon the liberal
international order can have serious backlash for the American people as
well as its economy. It has isolated U.S. on key global issues and has
also undermined its soft power diplomacy.
Trump by favoring a close bilateral and nationalist agenda in
contrast to that of multilateral cooperative society is doing more harm
than can be done by open and rule bound order governed by international
institutions. This way it paves path for adversaries to grow at the cost
of world peace and security. An unpredictable and unsafe world is what
awaits us. The need of the hour is to renew commitment to collective
security for the survival of the planet as well as the deterrence of
aggressors. Moreover, a consolidated bloc and a common cause with other
nations can give it a more leverage to deal with China on trade related
negotiations.
While it is evident that Donald Trump does not want to make any
compromise on American interests, he desires a lighter global workload
for the U.S. However, at the same time there is an aspiration of keeping
the global leadership. The two cannot go hand in hand. In a world of
sovereign states minding their own affairs, the idea of nativism or
isolationism is bound to create conflict. The embracing of isolationist
policies by U.S. can lead to power vacuum in the liberal international
order, pushing new states to acquire this position. Though the U.S.
followed isolationist policies post World War I, for a peaceful interwar
period. Today the situation is different and the world cannot do away
without liberal order and take to exclusionist mode.
China has been making every effort to replace the U.S. at global level.
The isolationist policies of Trump have provided greater scope and
leverage to Beijing. China has positioned itself as a growing climate
leader along with European Union. It has been making great strides not
only in policy domain but also gathering the influence required for
filling the gap. For instance, when Trump paralyzed the WTO by leaving
its appellate body inquorate, China along with Europe and other 15
countries set up their own ad hoc shadow appellate body to maintain WTO
standards and procedures. The successor to U.S. global leadership seems
to be collective global leadership, with the two largest economies––EU
and the China.
Read complete report at: Donald Trump and the Future of Liberal International Order - Modern Diplomacy
