World order and US role will endure, for now

Significance

Trump’s vision of world order challenges the post-war consensus of US leadership across the post-1945 multilateral global institutions, of which the UN is one. Trump favours more limited multilateralism and greater nation state-based sovereignty, with a preference for bilateralism.

Impacts

• Partnerships with Washington will be transactional and warmer in some policy areas than others at any given time.
• America First will not affect all international bodies equally; Trump has been less critical of world financial bodies.
• America First thinking will determine US preparedness to intervene globally, such as over environmental controls.