Donald Trump’s potential reappearance in the White House is generating waves worldwide. His “America First” foreign policy is changing the way people perceive US involvement in overseas conflicts.
Impact on Ukraine
There is doubt regarding how Trump’s policy would affect the current US support of the conflict with Russia in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leaders fear that Trump has previously discussed pulling back US military aid. There also will probably be hope in the aftermath of a Trump presidency that he will make the US stand bolder, maybe more military support for Ukraine to prepare it for a Russian victory in case it occurs, but always then there can be the possibility that Trump will try to end the war and force Ukraine into negotiations with Russia reminding Putin yet again of his gains.
But Russia can only be ambivalent to news of a Trump victory. Russia’s Kremlin is playing cautious, though US President-elect Donald Trump previously hailed President Vladimir Putin as Russia’s counterpart. Russian officials, who once thought that the election of Trump will elevate the relation between the US and Russia, seem more measured today. News from Moscow said that the initial reaction of the Russian officials was spotty. For one, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that there were no immediate plans for congratulatory calls from President Putin to congratulate Donald Trump, saying how complicated US-Russia relations are.
Europe’s Security Concerns
All of them pertained directly to the future cooperation in security, trade, and climate issues. On the one hand, there are Hungarian Viktor Orban, welcoming the victory of the new US president, and French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who are, on the other hand, more nervous about the consequences of this victory. With the US potentially retreating from its role as global leader, European countries now prepare to build their own defensive capabilities, with new tariffs on goods of European origin adding a new layer of uncertainty to transatlantic relations.
Israel’s Optimism, but Caution
Still, guarded optimism seems to dominate Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump while acknowledging that during his first term, he had achieved much good for the Jewish state, such as recognizing Jerusalem as its capital and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. However, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren notes that the unpredictable nature of the new U.S. president might force Israel to act in haste and rashly in Gaza and in other hot conflict zones, and this will pose an internal challenge for the leadership of Israel.
Calculated Response by China
A mixed reaction characterizes China’s view of Trump coming back. Of course, some form of full-scale trade war can be feared with tariffs higher than those earlier imposed by Trump. At the same time, there are also options for China. Trump’s “America First” doctrine might decrease US alliances in Asia to such an extent that China will gain more space for further expanding its influence across the world. Still, Chinese leaders are cautious over a second round of trade conflict because the country’s economy already has several problems.
In sum, while Trump’s return to power can be viewed as a turn toward much isolationist policy, it has caused variable reactions across the world-from uncertainty in Ukraine and Europe to cautious optimism in Israel and China.
