The hitherto staid World Order has of late seen much tumult and re-positioning, not the least due to US President
Donald Trump’s policies that remorselessly further ‘America First’. The article discusses how President Trump’s
policies have impacted the World at large and America’s own relations with various countries and its commitments to
its allies to emphasise why it is necessary for India to steadfastly pursue a consistent policy to safeguard and further its
own national interests.
Breaking Existing Norms
It takes years, if not decades to establish international institutions and orders. And yet, destroying them is surprisingly easy, especially if you happen to be the most powerful man in the world. As Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, sets out on his policy of ‘America First’ – which is fast translating into ‘America Only’-he is dismantling existing institutions and establishments, reshaping global equations and threatens to bring in a New World Order.
It is not only his personal style of antagonizing long standing allies such as Canada, UK, Germany and France. He balances it out by supporting strong men like Putin and Kim Jong Un, whom he sees of his ilk. His disavowal of NATO, NAFTA, TPP, WTO and even the United Nations has sent jitters across the existing strategic and economic order. His unjustified walk-out from the US-Iran nuclear deal and the acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel threatens to hurl the Middle East into turmoil. and the recent trade war which he has launched could disrupt the world economy and send it back into recession.