Trump and the American mirage

On April 2, 2026, the world watched without much surprise or astonishment as the American president addressed, first and foremost, the American nation, and secondarily, the “free world” and its designated enemies.

The speech by the leader of the MAGA coalition will go down in history as the final syllable of an empire in its death throes of denial. In this performance, Donald Trump attempted to present a narcissistic and aggressive nationalism as the solution to the deep contradictions of American power. He did not reassure; he projected the image of a president completely disconnected from the reality of the world he claims to “defend.” When he speaks of the “security of the free world,” it is not freedom he is promoting, but rather a kind of worn-out ideological testament that serves primarily to justify military interventions that, paradoxically, further weaken the security of the very peoples he claims to protect.

In his bellicose appeal, Trump attempted to legitimize a war against Iran that, far from being over or contained despite his lofty pronouncements of victory and his cascading promises to reduce it “to the Stone Age,” has left global markets strained, oil prices soaring, and pump prices weighing heavily on economies in both the Global South and the Global North. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the conflict, has demonstrated how the actions of Washington and Tel Aviv exacerbate economic and political risks rather than alleviate them, and their effects are already being felt in all energy-producing regions, including Asia.

What Trump calls security is merely a costly and ineffective “securing of the American hegemonic status quo,” diverting the state apparatus from its essential missions while fueling cycles of violence and resentment. He spoke of victory in Iran while the Iranian military’s actual capabilities remain intact and Tehran’s promised attacks against American and Israeli forces continue to have deadly consequences. Paradoxically, like the birds in Charlie Chaplin’s film, American soldiers and their commanders in the Middle East are hiding to die.

Freedom sold at a discount

The “free world” – a hackneyed phrase repeated without nuance – has never been synonymous with genuine freedom. For decades, it has been an ideological label concealing an architecture of dependencies and asymmetrical obligations imposed by Washington and its allies. The aim is not to promote open, democratic, or sovereign societies, but to ensure privileged access to markets, resources, and geostrategic........

© New Eastern Outlook