Trump's Greenland Threats Seen as Final Blow to Liberal World Order

Experts warn that even the dream of a rules-based, multilateral world is now dying as countries prepare for a more chaotic future.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The liberal international order has been declared dead many times, but President Donald Trump's threats to invade Greenland may have finally delivered the fatal blow. Critics argue that even as the order was always imperfect, Trump's actions have pushed the world past a tipping point, leading countries to abandon hopes for a peaceful, rules-based global system and instead prepare for a more chaotic and militarized future.

Why it matters

The liberal international order, built on institutions, rules, and values that were meant to guide global behavior, has faced many challenges over the decades, from the Iraq War to the Syrian civil war. But Trump's threats against a NATO ally in Greenland represent a new level of threat, pushing even committed internationalists to conclude that the dream of a multilateral world order is now dead.

The details

Trump's threats to potentially invade or annex Greenland, a territory of U.S. ally Denmark, have alarmed observers who see it as a fundamental violation of the principles of sovereignty and alliance cooperation that underpinned the liberal order. Even as previous U.S. actions, like the invasion of Iraq, had already damaged faith in that order, Trump's targeting of NATO has shifted the entire logic, leading countries to prioritize self-interest and military preparedness over multilateral cooperation.

  • In 2023, Hamas launched an attack that prompted a devastating Israeli response in Gaza.
  • In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sparking global outrage.
  • In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, a move many saw as a violation of international norms.
  • In 2003, the U.S. invasion of Iraq was widely criticized as a unilateral action that undermined the liberal order.
  • In 1999, the U.S.-led NATO intervention in Kosovo was seen by some as a violation of state sovereignty.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States whose threats against Greenland are seen as a final blow to the liberal international order.

Mark Carney

The Canadian Prime Minister who has called for middle powers to unite in an effort to preserve some measure of rules-based multilateralism.

Noam Chomsky

A prominent critic who has argued that the U.S.-led intervention in Kosovo was a form of "U.S. neo-imperialism" that violated the principle of non-interference in sovereign states.

Slobodan Milosevic

The former Serbian president whose brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999 prompted the U.S.-led NATO intervention.

Vladimir Putin

The Russian president who has been accused of violating international norms, including with his 2014 annexation of Crimea and his 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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What’s next

As countries around the world reconsider their security and foreign policy approaches in light of the perceived collapse of the liberal international order, the future of global cooperation and stability remains uncertain.

The takeaway

Trump's actions in Greenland have pushed the world past a tipping point, leading even committed internationalists to conclude that the dream of a rules-based, multilateral global order is now dead. Countries are now preparing for a more chaotic, militarized future as they abandon hopes for a peaceful, cooperative world system.