What rest of the world may face in year two of Trump

The first few weeks of 2026 have felt like a lifetime. They follow a year of unprecedented global events, triggered by Donald Trump's foreign policy, that have rocked the world and the world order.

- BEL TREW CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

The first few weeks of 2026 have felt like a lifetime. They follow a year of unprecedented global events, triggered by Donald Trump's foreign policy, that have rocked the world and the world order. In less than a month, we have seen the US capture the president of Venezuela, threaten to bomb Iran, and vow to take over Nato partner Greenland, while briefly threatening sanctions on anyone who opposed that.

So what can the world expect as we move into the second year of Trump’s second term in office? How far does his “America First” policy go? What does his “Donroe Doctrine” mean for the direction of this new world? And which crises and conflicts are likely to wreak havoc this year?

Post-Nato Europe and the conquest of Greenland

The most immediate concern is Trump’s determination to take over the mineral-rich, strategically important island of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the US’s Nato ally Denmark.

Although he has stepped back from military action, his desire to own the “piece of ice” remains undiminished. During his speech in Davos, he insulted Europe - and its leaders - criticising them on migration and energy, as well as defence. The alliance’s most powerful member is not playing nice. Rose Gottemoeller, who served as Nato’s deputy secretary general during Trump’s first administration, told The Independent that Washington’s increasingly erratic signals, she said, raise doubts about its commitment to the US nuclear umbrella over Europe, which unofficial reports suggest includes around 100 warheads. This, in turn, could trigger a new era of nuclear proliferation, something already being discussed in parts of Europe, including Germany.