The End of the Postwar World: Trump's Radical Shift in U.S. Alliances

Below is a rewrite of the excellent Anne Applebaum piece from the Atlantic. Link to the gift article is at the very end. Thanks for reading.

For nearly 80 years, America’s global influence has been built on strong alliances with fellow democracies. These partnerships—rooted in mutual security, trade, and diplomacy—have helped stabilize volatile regions and ensured prosperity for both the U.S. and its allies.

But under Donald Trump, that era is rapidly ending.

Trump, long skeptical of these alliances, has now surrounded himself with advisors willing to implement his vision, prioritizing transactional, America-first policies over longstanding commitments.

His administration’s latest moves signal to the world: The U.S. no longer sees its allies as partners but as bargaining chips.

At last weekend’s Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D. Vance amplified this message.

Instead of addressing pressing threats like Russia’s war on Ukraine, Vance pushed misleading narratives that painted European democracies as authoritarian.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented a shocking proposal: The U.S. would claim 50% of Ukraine’s economic resources—including its minerals, oil, gas, and infrastructure—not just now, but indefinitely.

The deal, reported by multiple sources, offered Ukraine nothing in return—no security guarantees, no reconstruction aid, nothing but economic subjugation.

“For all future licenses the U.S. will have a right of first refusal for the purchase of exportable minerals,” the document stated, leaving Europeans, who have provided more aid to Ukraine than the U.S., completely cut out.

Trump made his new foreign policy stance even clearer this week, repeating outright falsehoods about Ukraine in a press conference and social media posts—claims that closely echo Russian propaganda.

With America’s role in global security now unpredictable, European nations must take immediate steps to safeguard their own defense. That means seizing frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, creating independent security alliances, and ramping up military investments.

The postwar world order is ending, and America's allies must prepare for a future in which the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner.

Please read the full article.

Source: The Atlantic