The global order in 2026

SOME COUNTRIES WILL INCREASINGLY SEEK GREATER STRATEGIC AUTONOMY

- ANITA INDER SINGH

ONE YEAR OF Trump 2.0 has turned out to be a shadow cast across the world, and 2026 is unlikely to lighten the shadow.While every country advances its national interests, his pursuit of“America First" betrays a pronounced aversion to international order and multilateral institutions, whether the United Nations or Bretton Woods. In short, Trump is trying to bully the world as he tries to build the US as the world's strongest economy with a robust industrial base. National resources exist to serve America and American interests alone. The US must therefore rely less on foreign technologies, against which Trump has imposed high tariffs.

Even America's traditionally close European allies have come under pressure from tariffs. They have also faced attacks on the weaknesses of European civilisation because of their former liberal migration policies.

Strategically autonomous India, therefore, should not be surprised at the imposition of 50% tariffs for buying Russian oil, or Washington's indifference to Delhi's talk about the greatness of Hindu culture-whatever that means to India's current political dispensation.

Meanwhile, Trump admires the leaders of an expansionist China in Asia and Russia in Europe, both of whom in part defend their imperialism as reflecting their great civilisations. Notably, his top priority is the Western Hemisphere,where he has invaded Venezuela because it has allegedly exported migrants and large quantities of drugs to America. Those threats probably mask his obvious ambition to lay hands on Venezuela's oil reserves.

No retrenchment