In the final two years of a US presidency, when Congress has been lost, approval ratings have sunk like a stone and their party has started to think about who’s coming next, the person occupying the Oval Office can feel their power draining away. Domestic legislation, particularly in an era where bipartisan cooperation is almost nonexistent, grinds to a halt. But as the days tick by until the end, and as presidents begin to think about their legacy, there is one part of the job where they still have power: the rest of the world.

In the final weeks of his presidency in 1992 George HW Bush sent 28,000 American troops to Somalia to help end a famine. For Bill Clinton, it was a quixotic attempt to bring peace to the Middle East by ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Barack Obama restored diplomatic ties with Cuba, making a historic visit to Havana, as well as a final, successful push on the Iran nuclear deal.

In 10 days, Donald Trump will enter his own twilight zone. He is almost certain to lose control of the House and it’s not impossible he will face a Democratic Senate too. Any hopes of passing domestic policy – not that he’s bothered with that much during his first two years – will disappear. Instead, he will face a series of investigations that could lead, once again, to impeachment.

On the world stage, however, it will be a different story. And unlike Bush senior, Clinton and Obama, his ambitions won’t be peaceful. The first two years of his second term have been catastrophic; the final two could be even worse.

Once the midterms are over, the US is understood to be planning to restart its unwinnable war with Iran, already carrying out exercises with the Israeli military and withdrawing diplomats from the region. Trump’s sellout of Ukraine is well under way. In the past week he has argued that “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine”, while his envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, praising him in a televised meeting as a “humanitarian…and I salute that, I commend you and I thank you again.”

On top of a reckless war in the Middle East and appeasement in Europe, the shadow of a new world order is emerging, which Trump will relentlessly........

© The Guardian