In this phase, foreign policy is reoriented to reflect the administration’s domestic agenda: anti-liberal, anti-multilateral, and pro-sovereignty. Longstanding alliances such as NATO, the European Union, and the United Nations are undermined or abandoned, with rhetorical and financial support redirected toward authoritarian states perceived as “respectful” or “non-interventionist.”
This shift includes forging closer diplomatic and economic relationships with regimes like Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and China, despite their records of human rights abuse, censorship, or electoral manipulation. These alliances are framed as practical, patriotic, and a rejection of “woke” globalism or international “meddling.”
The move serves both a geostrategic and ideological purpose: insulating the regime from international criticism, importing authoritarian norms, and promoting a new axis of global authoritarian cooperation. Historically, such alignments helped solidify autocratic control in Germany, Russia, and Venezuela, where foreign partnerships reinforced internal repression and discouraged intervention.
What to Watch For
- Withdrawal or defunding of participation in international bodies (e.g., UN, WHO, ICC, NATO)
- Formal or informal pacts with authoritarian regimes (military, economic, propaganda, or surveillance cooperation)
- Presidential visits or summits with autocratic leaders celebrated as diplomatic victories
- Trade agreements or arms deals made outside traditional accountability structures
- Statements framing global democracy as “elitist,” “hypocritical,” or “anti-American”
- Media glorification of strongman leaders abroad and criticism of liberal democracies