MAGA or MAPA?

The Trump Administration is pursuing the “Make America Great Again” or MAGA initiatives but in reality, it may reflect  “Make America Poor Again” or MAPA. Why? With the US having chosen to retreat from its global role, it will lose much of the power and influence it assumes.

America still is the world’s leading military and technological power, reserve-currency issuer, and anchor of the global financial system. But with the US now having chosen to retreat from its global role, it will gradually lose much of the power and influence that it now takes for granted. 

Source: https://no.wikipedia.org

For decades after World War II, the US could shape the global system to serve its own purposes; and during the brief “unipolar” moment that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, its status was unrivalled. 

But other powers have since grown in stature and are pursuing global ambitions. While China is the most obvious example, Europe, too, is seeking the unity required to assert itself as a serious global player. Then there are many middle powers who want to raise their profiles as well. This is the context in which President Donald Trump has hastened America’s retreat. While no one is surprised to see an “America First” administration ditching global responsibilities, the sheer pace of the change has been remarkable. 

Clearly, trade is central to Trump’s thinking. Failing to understand that it can benefit all who engage in it, he sees only a zero-sum game that America has been losing. No one – not even Trump – knows what will come from the global trade war that America launched on “Liberation Day” (April 2). But one thing already seems certain: America’s role in the global economy will decline.

 

China is the top trading partner to around 120 countries, and the EU to around 80, whereas America is number one for only 20 or so countries. And now that Trump has imposed or threatened sweeping tariffs against friends and foes alike, the US position is bound to decline further. America’s absence will be even more obvious in the realm of multinational cooperation – both within and outside the United Nations. Now that Trump has withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization, China has stepped forward as WHO’s single-largest financial contributor. Others will also have to assume greater responsibility for international humanitarian efforts – which have long depended on US funding and are already rapidly receding. 

While Trump issues threats to take over the Panama Canal, Canada, and Greenland, US diplomacy is in retreat more broadly. Administration officials claim that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is “Joe Biden’s war,” and they initially responded to the dangerous flare-up between India and Pakistan by declaring it none of America’s business. 

Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East was almost exclusively about securing business, investment, and arms deals. Beyond making bizarre statements about turning Gaza into a resort, he has basically ignored the Israeli Palestinian question, leaving Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu free to pursue whatever policy he wants. 

Trump’s proposal to build a “Golden Dome” of layered domestic defence systems is a perfect symbol of an isolationist America. Outside the dome, in the post-American world, the future is up for grabs. Meanwhile, we are watching a slow-motion movie on how America is going MAPA and not MAGA. And that too because of one man! 

 

Reference:

Farewell, America, Carl Bildt, FMT, 27 May 2025