Updated February 18, 2025 at 11:59 AM ET
Barely a month into his second presidency, President Trump and his administration have shaken the world order.
This week, U.S. and Russian delegations are meeting in Saudi Arabia to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine — without Ukrainian representation. Trump has mused about a plan to relocate all Palestinians in Gaza and turn it into seaside real estate. Vice President Vance sharply criticized the United States' European allies for shunning far-right political parties, including Alternative for Germany — a party that includes some figures who have been accused of using Nazi slogans and downplaying the Holocaust.
And in the Americas, Trump has threatened tariffs on the United States' bordering neighbors, Mexico and Canada, despite various critical trade pipelines that the countries rely on each other for. Trump also halted funding for foreign aid and efforts to support democracy around the world.
What's unfolding because of these actions is a world in which the United States' influence will wane, said Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and director of policy planning under President George W. Bush, in an interview with Morning Edition.
Here are four thoughts that Haass shared on the new world order taking shape under Trump.
Trump is operating as though the U.S. has "special rights"
The world order that Trump inherited wasn't perfect, Haass said, but it was rules-based. Countries respected each other's sovereignty and avoided acquiring territory by force, he noted, adding that there were rules governing trade and investment and rules protecting human rights.
Though the Trump administration is just a month old, "we're seeing a world in which great powers, including the United States, have special rights … to decide the fate of others. They have the ability, in some cases, to take what it is that they want."
The United States is clearly asserting this in the Western Hemisphere, particularly with the Panama Canal, Canada, Mexico and Greenland, Haass said. Trump also seems willing to give Russia a greater hand in Europe.
"We don't have any clear indications yet about China in the Asia-Pacific, but clearly we are moving away from the world with the United States in tandem with its allies — allies of 75, 80 years in many cases would work together in terms of building all sorts of organizations and principles to govern international relations," Haass said.
Don't underestimate the benefits of the old world order
Haass said thanks to the post-World War II order, the world has avoided wars between great powers for 80 years. He added, "The Cold War stayed cold, ended peacefully and on terms consistent with American interests and values."
The U.S. has grown prosperous, as have many other countries, Haass continued. "People live longer around the world. More people live with degrees of freedom and democracy than any other time in human history," Haass said. "So, however imperfect, this world is not bad."
Even with the war in Ukraine, though Russian aggression was a violation, Haass said, "The Russians haven't gotten away with it." Ukraine still controls roughly 80% of its territory and continues to be a viable nation-state, he noted.
It's a big mistake to alienate allies of the U.S.
Compared with Russia and China, the U.S. has a great comparative advantage because "we get up every morning and we have this enormous pool of allies who are willing to work with us, whether it's to deal with the geopolitical challenges of the day or global health issues or economic issues," Haass said.
Trump's foreign policy approach, however, is that allies are not seen as different or special, Haass said.
"They're treated just like everybody else, in some cases worse than everybody else, because they're involved with us economically," Haass said. "We have more means to penalize them."
Expect U.S. influence to decline
Because the U.S. is alienating its allies, Haass said, it could end up with less influence, potentially with less order. Some of these allies could possibly begin to diversify their portfolios rather than depending on the United States.
"Some of them may say, 'We need nuclear weapons of our own,' or 'We're just going to disregard what Washington says,' because Washington now has become so unpredictable and self-interested," Haass said. "We're moving towards a much less American-centric world."
Copyright 2025 NPR
