Trump's 'new world order': Peace through strength or perilous global unravelling for India?

US President Donald Trump may believe that he and his administration are on a geopolitical roll.

- PETER DASH

From the seizure of Nicolás Maduro last year to the recent US attack on Iran and the reported death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — long known for his “Death to Israel and America” rhetoric — these developments may, in Washington's view, signal decisive action against hostile regimes.

But do such actions necessarily make the world safer, including for India? Or do they risk pushing the international system towards lawless instability? What are the consequences for international law, long seen as a pillar of justice for the Global South?

The White House views these interventions — and possibly others to come — as the result of firm, unilateral decisions taken by the US Commander-in-Chief. President Trump appears to see such moves as carrying out responsibilities that the United Nations and existing international law frameworks have failed to discharge, particularly in addressing state sponsors of terrorism and Iran’s nuclear ambitions against Israel.

Implicit in this approach is the assertion that the US will lead in shaping a new world order — one significantly influenced by Trump's worldview. Supporters argue that such assertiveness could stabilise volatile regions while also securing American interests, including energy supplies, strategic minerals and global trade routes.