The Return of Trump

A look at the seismic shift in affairs, both global and domestic, that is on the cards as Donald Trump returns for his second stint in the White House at a precarious time

- Prashant Jha

Donald Trump has returned to power at a time of dramatic changes in the international political, economic, environmental and technological landscape. There are two wars underway, in Europe and West Asia, and great power competition has returned as a feature of the international system in more complex ways than it existed during the Cold War. Countries are still reeling from the shock of the pandemic, wars, and inflation, with distressed economies and social unrest. The climate crisis is more real than ever before. And the arrival of artificial intelligence has upended assumptions about what will continue to require human judgment and human bodies and what will be driven by machines.

Trump has returned to power with a clear mandate, a degree of control over both chambers of the US Congress, a political track record that values deal-making and places premium on the optics of a personal win, a strong belief that the US has borne excessive responsibility for upholding the global security and economic order without commensurate benefits, immense indifference and disdain for the climate crisis, and a conviction that he can end wars and make the US the global superpower, while, at the same time, limiting its role and involvement in various theaters.