The Trump administration’s “America First” approach to world politics is a threat to the international order, the former head of NATO said.
Speaking to CNBC’s Silvia Amaro, the former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the U.S. is the only country in the world able to “restore international law and order.” Calling for a return of American global leadership, he blamed the “chaos” in the world right now on Trump’s retreat from the global stage.
Rasmussen, who is also the former prime minister of Denmark, also called on Europeans to do more to support Americans who are interested in American global leadership in the face of the “clear risk” of Trump’s reelection. “The world needs leadership and only Americans can provide that leadership,” he said.
However, many analysts argue that Trump’s retreat from international leadership is actually a sign of the end of American hegemony. They expect to see world dominance pass to a new power, just as it passed to the U.S. from the U.K. at the end of the Second World War. Some have speculated that China will soon replace the United States on the world stage.
The Trump administration’s reticence to participate in global politics includes the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, the President’s failure to endorse the NATO mutual-aid clause, and increasing trade protectionism.
