Everything seems to crumble under our feet

Are we witnessing the end of the international world order as we knew it? Everything seems to crumble under our feet. Things we in the West took for granted no longer seem to hold.

I also believe this marks the beginning of the end for the “American Empire”. Even as the U.S. pursues imperial ambitions, things are not looking up for them. Globally, we are well into the Asian Century.

American exceptionalism—Pax Americana, the support for citizens0’ freedoms and democracy worldwide (at least aspirationally)—is gone. A nation whose leaders once spoke of the USA as a “city on a hill” and “the light of the world” is now having a president who is projecting imperial ambitions (similar to those of the Russian Federation) with a distinctly transactional mindset.

I'm afraid the US is losing its moral authority on the world stage, and with the dismantling of USAID, it is even relinquishing its soft power globally. We live in a multicivilizational, multipolar and multilateral world. This presents an opportunity to be celebrated—provided more nations step up to work toward peace and collaboration.

Instead of embracing this emerging world, the U.S. is reverting to tariffs, trade wars, and potentially even real wars. It appears more focused on land grabs and carving out new spheres of influence in Europe, engaging directly with Russia over the heads of its long-standing allies and friends in the free world.

Is the USA losing its legitimacy, credibility and leadership in promoting and upholding a rules-based international order?

I’m afraid so. I also hope this serves as a wake-up call for Europe to stand united and defend its interests and place in the free world. People often forget that European integration was the largest and most complex peace project in history—and it worked. So far.

P.S.

I fully support an end to the war Russia is waging in Ukraine. But Trump treating Ukraine as if it started the war is appalling, and sidelining Ukraine in peace talks is disturbingly reminiscent of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact (a non-aggression deal which preceded World War II; oh, what a tragic irony). It also serves as a stark reminder to us Eastern Europeans of what happened at Yalta not so long ago. Because we were “sold out,” we ended up living under communism, trapped in the Soviet Union's sphere of influence for half a century.

Adrian Petrice, Romanian political scientist and economist who is passionate about philosophy, technology, and culture.

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