it's becoming increasingly clear that the u.s. is undergoing a serious shift in its relationship with the world. this shift is showing up in several ways:
1. the gradual dismantling of interventionist tools like usaid.
2. marco rubio openly admitting that the world has moved to a multipolar structure with multiple major powers and that the post-wwii global order is not just outdated but is now being used as a weapon against the u.s. itself.
3. tariffs on so-called "allies" like mexico, canada, and the eu.
this signals the end of the u.s. trying to run the world. the message is clear: everyone is on their own now. we're just another major power, not the "indispensable nation."
if you're still stuck in the old paradigm, this might seem reckless (even the wall street journal called it that). but assuming any country's actions are just dumb is always a mistake.
hegemony was always going to end at some point. the u.s. is simply choosing to end it on its own terms. this is america actively shaping the post-american world order it once created.
seen from this angle, even tariffs on allies make sense. because this isn't just about economics—it's about redefining what "ally" even means. the u.s. no longer wants vassals, or maybe it just can't afford them anymore. instead, it's opting for relationships based on immediate interests, not long-term obligations.
you could see this as a collapse—because it does look like the end of the american empire. but it could also be a strategy to avoid an even bigger collapse: withdrawing from imperial commitments in a controlled way to focus on core national interests, rather than facing a chaotic retreat later.
either way, the era is over. the trump administration may have looked chaotic to many observers, but they likely understood these shifting realities far better than their predecessors. recognizing multipolarity and learning to operate within it makes a lot more sense than clinging to an increasingly expensive global hegemony. it looks messy, but it's a far better option than maintaining an illusion of dominance that was never sustainable.
none of this means the u.s. will stop creating chaos worldwide. it might even become more aggressive. the difference is that, before, it at least pretended to uphold a "rules-based order"—however hypocritically. now, it doesn't even need to fake it. no more obligations, not even the appearance of restraint.
the american empire is ending. but the u.s. isn't going anywhere. it will remain a major and destructive force on the global stage.
this shift might be the biggest transformation in international relations since the collapse of the soviet union. and the ones least prepared for it—something that's already becoming painfully obvious—are the vassals that depended on the u.s. for decades.
because the patron they once relied on now just sees them as negotiable bargaining chips.
america's satellites are now on their own. and for smaller countries in northern europe and asia, this might look like a disaster. but it was never sustainable in the first place.
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