US President Donald Trump's brazen “America First” foreign policy has “opened the door to a new alignment of forces. The days of US global hegemony are numbered,” according to Professor Dennis Etler, an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs. RNA - Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Sunday, while commenting on an article published by Business Insider which said the United States’ main allies are abandoning Donald Trump as his threats to world leaders have backfired.
“Trump's decision to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani has exposed a growing rift between the US and its historically closest allies in Europe,” according to the analysis.
“The attack was met with a remarkable level of criticism by European leaders,” it said.
“The UK threatened to cut back on its long-standing defense alliance with Trump, and Germany suggested openly that the importance of its relationship with the US was declining,” it noted.
Professor Etler said, “Trump’s brazen ‘America First’ foreign policy was bound to backfire. The mystery is how long it’s taken. This can be attributed to a certain inertia in the relationship between Washington and its allies in Europe and elsewhere. The Western alliance, with few exceptions, had held fast for seven decades following WW2 and it would take considerable effort to derail it.”
“When Trump came along the sentiment was ‘this too will pass.’ But his egregious behavior has only intensified, leaving allies in Europe and the Middle East no option but to push back. Hence the big three in Europe, the UK, Germany, and France, as well as erstwhile allies Turkey and Iraq, are looking for alternatives to the fickle US under Trump,” he said.
“Much, however, depends on whether Trump survives the impending impeachment trial and is able to win re-election. If so, the unraveling of the Western alliance should continue apace. Trump will feel vindicated and most likely double down on his policies both at home and abroad,” he stated.
“If, however, he is replaced by a Democrat much of what Trump has done will have come to naught and attempts will be made to mend fences and reconstitute the status quo ante. Nonetheless, a shift in allegiances has begun and it will be difficult to put the genie back in the bottle. Both China’s and Russia’s influence will continue to grow and make life difficult for Washington. Trump has wittingly or not opened the door to a new alignment of forces. The days of US global hegemony are numbered,” the analyst noted.
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