Photo by Christian Agbede

Donald Trump has divorced twice and has been known to change partners, if not allies, frequently. So if Trump, as a person and political leader, is not faithful, why should other countries believe that being faithful to him is sound policy? While some countries are moving further and further away from Trump and the United States, why shouldn’t more countries declare a divorce and begin looking for other, more reliable partners?

There are obvious answers to why there has been growing separation from the U.S., but no formal divorce proceedings. First, many believe the United States is in a hiccup moment, that Trump is an aberration. Once Trump leaves – assuming he will – many believe the U.S. will return to being the bedrock of the Atlantic alliance. After Trump, it is hoped, traditional alliances and treaties like the Washington Treaty, which established NATO and contains its Article 5 collective defense commitment, will once again be respected. According to optimists, the American nightmare will end on January 20, 2029.

The second reason is simple: the U.S. market is too big to walk away from. More than 300 million American consumers cannot be ignored. Divorcing the U.S. would mean risking access to an enormous market. Already, Trump’s increased import tariffs have caused disruption. After Trump, optimists hope, the U.S. market will be open as before.

These are powerful reasons to stay in the marriage. But both depend on the hope that America will return to its old self.

Not all are optimists. “What we are seeing is not just some isolated threat to the First Amendment,” Harvard law professor Noah Feldman wrote. “It is something much deeper: a transformation in the way political power flows through US governance unseen since the New Deal.”

As a result of Trump’s actions, major European leaders are questioning their dependence on Uncle Sam. “No one forced us into the excessive dependence on the United States that we have found........

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