During his first term in office, President Trump described the European Union “as a foe,” established “to hurt the United States on trade.” He repeated the charge at a cabinet meeting last Wednesday, as critics express concern with American diplomats appearing to side with Russian interest ahead of peace negotiations with Ukraine
Thomas Pepinsky is the Walter F. LaFeber Professor in the Department of Government in the College of Arts & Sciences and professor in the Brooks School of Public Policy; he studies comparative politics and democratic backsliding.
"The Trump administration’s shift away from its European allies and partners has already had a tectonic effect on global politics, and on the future of U.S. foreign relations," Pepinsky said. "The president’s admiration for Vladimir Putin, and his criticism of Vladimir Zelensky, and his indifferent to facts and history have convinced European allies that the U.S. is no longer a dependable source of security. Vice President JD Vance’s behavior in Germany just before the February 2025 Bundestag elections only heightened European worries about U.S. foreign policy going forward. Elon Musk, who is now the most important unelected politician in U.S. history, has further eroded the credibility of the U.S. foreign policy establishment by eviscerating the Departments of State, Defense, and Justice, among others.
"Noting these developments, Asian allies and strategic partners are recalibrating their foreign policy in anticipation of what many are beginning to call the era of ‘No World Order.’ Without confidence that the United States can be trust to uphold its alliance commitments, and with the confusing and bombastic rhetoric emanating from Washington showing no sign of abating, U.S. global leadership is in danger of disappearing. Rebuilding global trust in the U.S. government may be impossible at this point; the U.S. role in the world has not been this uncertain since the end of the 19th century," Pepinsky said.
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