The future of the global order is increasingly uncertain, with the stability that once defined international relations now under serious strain. Since the end of World War II, the United States has been the dominant force in shaping international institutions, promoting free trade, and enforcing security alliances. However, recent geopolitical shifts-most notably under President Donald Trump-have cast doubt on the sustainability of this order. The rise of China, the resurgence of Russia, and growing disillusionment with multilateralism all contribute to the erosion of the postwar system.

The US has long been the linchpin of global stability. Its leadership in creating the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was instrumental in shaping a rules-based order designed to prevent another global conflict. However, shifts in US policy, particularly during Trump’s presidency, raised concerns about the durability of this framework.

Trump’s administration took a notably isolationist approach, prioritizing “America First” over collective security and multilateral cooperation. His administration withdrew from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO), weakened NATO by questioning its relevance, and imposed tariffs on key trading partners, undermining the global trading system. Perhaps most strikingly, Trump’s administration often sided with Russia, an aggressor state that launched a war of conquest against Ukraine. His actions sent a message that the US could no longer be counted on to uphold the very principles it once championed.

The broader implication of this shift is a world in which longstanding alliances are weaker, global governance is in retreat, and power dynamics are increasingly contested. The question remains whether Trump’s policies were an anomaly or part of a broader trend of US disengagement from the global stage.

While the US questions its role in the global system, China has been steadily asserting........

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