The New World Disorder

Trump’s War on Allies and the Fight for Democracy

So, what now?

Donald Trump has eviscerated the international order even faster than the biggest cynics (including your author) could have anticipated. Few democracies have escaped being threatened, berated, or held for ransom. After threatening Denmark with military intervention to seize Greenland, demanding Panama surrender the Panama Canal, and—repeatedly—stating he will break Canada economically and annex it, Trump has now decided to take on Europe.

Accordingly, he sent his thugs—the laughably incompetent sycophant Pete Hegseth, his Secretary of Defense, and his odious Vice President, J.D. Vance—to Europe to take a wrecking ball to the alliances that have defined the international order for decades. Hegseth delivered a confusing diatribe, alternately throwing Ukraine to the Russian wolves and offering assistance. So it fell upon Vance to deliver a breathtakingly fascist message: fall in line with the new U.S. world order, accept the new U.S. definition of “democracy” - including unrestrained hate speech and the elimination of oversight of American social media platforms, and stop counting on American support and engagement. He followed it up with some mind-boggling interference in German politics—a meeting with the leadership of the far-right AfD Party, which is currently running candidates in the upcoming Bundestag elections. Vance was the ugliest of ugly Americans.

European leaders were profoundly shocked, although they shouldn’t have been. After all, Trump telegraphed his policies during his first term, when he was restrained by a competent staff. Now, totally unrestrained, he can give voice to his worst impulses, enabled by toadies and minions. Surely Europe saw what was happening with Denmark, Canada, and Panama and could predict what was coming?

So what now? Europe is scrambling to respond and has convened an emergency meeting in France. Trump seems set on cozying up to Russia and attempting to dictate peace terms to Ukraine. Tariffs against Canada and Mexico are scheduled to take effect again in two weeks—apparently designed to break Canada’s economy and force annexation—and NATO appears poised to implode. Ukraine is left in the cold, hoping that Europe will stand by it even in the face of American bullying.

There are signs that maybe, just maybe, the world is waking up. The Vance speech was met with a very strong reaction in Germany. France has seized the moment and become the obvious leader of Europe—at least for now. The UK has re-engaged, promising troops to guarantee Ukraine’s security. Pledges of defence support to Ukraine have continued unabated. The U.S. was sent a very clear message regarding its so-called peace talks with Putin.

Yet in the face of all this, Trump’s threats to Canada—arguably as serious as those facing Europe—have fallen off the radar. Europe and the UK are completely focused on their own security and appear to have little time to bring Canada into the fold. We may need to force our way in. This means making unambiguous statements in support of Ukraine and Europe as this crisis unfolds. It means ensuring that Europe knows we are interested in a closer defence and economic relationship—perhaps in a NATO without the United States. It means demanding a seat at the table when the fate of democracy is being discussed, especially as Canada is a founding NATO member and a staunch supporter of Ukraine.

In this environment, everything needs to move faster. Goals set for five years from now are so far in the future as to be irrelevant. We need to be direct and decisive, shedding some trappings of traditional Canadian “quiet” diplomacy. We should be finalizing a free trade agreement with the EU and UK. We should pursue mutual defence agreements with as many like-minded nations as possible. And we should be preparing for a NATO without the United States—one in which Canada is a full participant. Further, Canada should align itself with European statements regarding Ukraine.

It almost goes without saying that seeking additional foreign markets for Canadian products and—urgently—improving Canada’s sovereign defence capabilities should be priorities. Moreover, Canada must completely reassess its intelligence and defence arrangements with the United States. One hopes this is already happening.

The world has changed in the past three weeks—a change driven by a newly fascist, bullying United States led by a completely irrational and egocentric president. Yet we still have politicians across the democratic West who believe this is merely a disagreement over economics or that Trump can be reasoned with. Hopefully, the past few days have dispelled such Pollyanna thinking. The danger is real—perhaps acute—and the time to stand up and be counted is now. The security and well-being of millions of people, from the steppes of Ukraine to Vancouver Island, depend on it.