The choice between Caesar & Aurelius

Atthe beginning of Donald Trump's first term in the White House, I argued that this would be no ordinary US presidency.

- Ahmet Davuto lu

The international order, already beset by fundamental weaknesses and disputes over its core values and institutions, was now facing a seismic shift.

With the beginning of ‘Trump’s second term marked by even greater chaos, what once seemed like an isolated shock has evolved into a full-blown “systemic earthquake.” Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, often unhinged executive orders, and despotic approach to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine have shaken the very foundations of the multi-lateral system, which took four centuries of wars and suffering — dating back to the Peace of Westphalia - to build.

Trump’s actions and pronouncements over the past two months suggest that we are entering an era of profound uncertainty in which crises can erupt and escalate at any moment. A single principle now seems to prevail: might is right. After all, at the heart of international law lies the principle of pacta sunt servanda: treaties must be honored. Yet within weeks of returning to the White House, Trump has violated, invalidated, or withdrawn from numerous agreements and commitments made by previous US administrations, including his own.