Trump Transforms Global Order, Upends Alliances

Former president's actions reshape international institutions and relationships, experts say

Jan. 31, 2026 at 11:39am

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From his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, former President Donald Trump has taken a series of actions that have fundamentally reshaped the global order, upending longstanding alliances and international institutions, according to experts. Trump's unilateral decisions, including withdrawing from dozens of international groups, applying tariffs against allies, and threatening the survival of NATO, have catapulted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the role of the West's preeminent moral spokesman.

Why it matters

Trump's actions represent a dramatic break from decades of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy that sought to strengthen a rules-based global order through international cooperation and institutions. Experts say his approach has the potential to permanently alter power dynamics and trade patterns around the world, with far-reaching consequences.

The details

Trump has transformed the Monroe Doctrine into a plan to extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for trial in the U.S., threatened the survival of NATO by casting his eyes on Greenland, and withdrawn the U.S. from more than five dozen international agencies and groups, including the Office of the Special Representative on Violence Against Children and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed these groups as "anti-America, useless or wasteful."

  • Trump took these actions during his presidency, which lasted from 2017 to 2021.
  • The former president's recent moves have come into sharp relief in recent days.

The players

Donald Trump

The 45th president of the United States, who is known for his unconventional and disruptive approach to foreign policy.

Mark Carney

The erudite prime minister of Canada, who has emerged as the preeminent moral spokesman of the West in the wake of Trump's actions.

Marco Rubio

The current U.S. Secretary of State, who has dismissed many international groups and agencies as "anti-America, useless or wasteful."

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What they’re saying

“You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.”

— Donald Trump

“The strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.”

— Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister

What’s next

Historians will likely debate for years whether Trump was the cause or consequence of the global upheaval, and whether he understood and exploited vast transformations of attitudes and power relationships that existed before his presidency.

The takeaway

Trump's actions have the potential to permanently alter power dynamics and trade patterns around the world, fundamentally reshaping the global order in ways that depart dramatically from decades of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy focused on strengthening international cooperation and institutions.