For millennia, diplomacy was the art of averting force through words. From the sacred envoys of ancient Egypt to the codified protocols of the Vienna Convention, it provided a framework where negotiation preceded confrontation. On paper, this system still exists. But paper has always burned. President Donald J. Trump simply holds the match.

Where once envoys carried sealed messages, missiles now deliver a nation’s opening position. Where embassies maintained the steady hum of relations, social media announces seismic policy shifts at odd hours, leaving allies scrambling. The diplomatic pouch has been replaced by the public ultimatum. This is not entirely new, as coercive diplomacy dates to 168 BC, when a Roman legate drew a circle in the sand and demanded a king’s surrender. Abraham Lincoln or Gerald Ford armadas are not a new phenomenon. Gunboat diplomacy of the 19th century thrived on naval threats. The ‘carrot and stick’ has worn many costumes.

President Trump’s approach to governance often reflects a pre-Westphalian sensibility, reminiscent of European sovereigns who viewed their realms as hereditary estates, thereby blurring the line between state assets and the ruler’s private property. Such dynamics transform the presidency into something akin to a royal court, where national policy can feel secondary to the advancement of the sovereign’s personal brand. In all fairness, the world may look the other way, as this is ultimately a matter between the President and the American people who elected him to the nation’s highest office.

The comparisons to history’s strongmen are illuminating, not for their........

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