The blitzkrieg of American transactional inside-looking coercive policies since the turn of Donald Trump at the White House risks plunging international relations back to a world of interest-driven anarchy, and conflictual alliances.
Since the end of the Second World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, a new world order informed by the need to forge cooperative world relations emerged from the ashes of war and severe suffering.
The imperfections of the liberal world order singularly dominated by Western powers raised calls for its democratization to create inclusive multilateralism rooted in cooperation and interdependence on the back of the significant role of emerging powers. A new era of interdependence and cooperation recognising the national sovereignty and independence of all states, however big or small, as canonised in the Charter of the United Nations seemed to have found a formula for global peace and shared prosperity.
A new multilateralism calling for international solidarity and mutually beneficial relations amongst all states, in the quest to confront common threats and advance shared humanity looked for the best way to further the shared human interests in the face of many global challenges until the new administration in Washington decided to roll back the wheels of history to a world of political realism and coercive racist right-wing politics at home and abroad.
In just about seven weeks in office, the Trump administration has shaken the transatlantic alliance to its core, rocked developing countries like South Africa and Mexico, traditional allies like Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine amongst others. While many of these countries have to contend with the threats of, and already use of economic coercion in cases where executive orders were signed to impose various ranges of punitive economic tariffs or sanctions, countries like Iran, the people of Palestine and Gaza were served notices of imminent military destruction if they do not capitulate to the demands from Washington.
Closer to home, South Africa, a country with a tortuous history of violent racist apartheid rule for close to a century, and despite its commendable efforts to forge an anon-sexist, and non-racial inclusive democracy has fallen under the hammer of economic coercion.
Washington has swiftly cut its aid while threatening to exclude the country from its preferential bilateral treaty, AGOA based on unfounded allegations, and efforts to invasively dictate foreign policy choices in Pretoria.US economic coercion on South Africa risk throwing crucial bilateral trade into jeopardy, in addition to provoking the ire of the majority of South Africans across the racial and political divide.
Efforts to strengthen unjust claims by the right-wing minority parties and powerful individuals beholden to the doomed apartheid system which concentrated political and economic power and privilege on the still
disproportionately economically dominant white minority populations risk plunging the country into violent conflict. In a speech delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ronald Lamola to Parliament, he stated that the US is South Africa’s biggest trading partner in the world after China.
South Africa is host to 601 US companies, while bilateral trade between the two countries equalled US$ 22 bn by 2023.
As much as South African exports to the USsuch as platinum, motor vehicles, reaction initiators, Ferro-alloys, citrus, jewellery, nuts, chemicals, wines, engines and turbines, ships, and boats could be thrown into jeopardy, there are about 22 South African companies invested in the US providing about 6 900 jobs which could suffer the same fate.
Washington also slapped exorbitant tariffs on China, the world’s second-largest economy and global manufacturing juggernaut, in a shocking accelerated departure from open economic relations, risking to plunge the global economy into severe cyclical global trade wars and economic regulation.
The US withdrew its cooperation from agencies such as the U.N. Human RightsCouncil, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Paris Agreement which seek to coordinate global cooperation at the highest levels towards fighting the challenges of climate, the number of threats to humanity according to the UN.
In an article in the Financial Times of March 2025 American scholar, Joseph Nyewarns about the limits of economic coercion and hard power, suggesting that they may not be exclusively adequate to affect others in producing desired outcomes.
Nye, famous for coining the concept of soft power in international relations, argues that the allure of a nation rests in their culture, policies, and values. He suggests that when they are seen by other nations and their citizens as legitimate, and as embracing their interests in the final dividend calculus, they generate interest in the shared value and cooperation. Zero sum exclusionary, winner takes all effectedthrough economic or military coercion as reflected in the new thrust of the USgovernment will eventually throw Washington in a bind, while disrupting responsibleeconomic competition and cooperation.
There is growing international consensus that Trump 2.0 has upended the international order as we know it. Transactional coercive international engagement will negatively harm cooperative multilateralism, hence in this moment of global uncertainty, world leaders strongly uphold the principles of peaceful cooperation, with emerging powers playing a significant role.
Platforms such as the G20 and the BRICS+ render optimism that in the emerging interregnum emerging powers could collaborate with other countries from the GlobalNorth to foster interdependence and cooperation based on mutual respect and shared domestic and international interests to manage to mitigate anarchy inshaping emerging multipolarism.
Countries from the Global South, accounting for over 40 percent of global GDP and contributing as high as 80 percent of global growth must strengthen their cooperation
to maintain world peace, and drive world development, while improving and democratising global governance.
In the past few decades China has demonstrated the possibility of buildingmultilateral relations based on permanent friendship in the pursuit of common sharedinterests. Despite emerging as a major power China advocated for internationaljustice, standing together with countries in the global south to oppose hegemonicpower politics through bullying of weaker states, while calling other major powers tohonour their international obligations and fulfil their responsibilities beyond theirnarrow interests.
President Xi Jinping has proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind, and called on all countries to transcend disagreements and differences, jointly protecting Earth, the only planet, and global village where humans belong.
This vision encapsulates norms characterizing Chinese civilization, and the internationalist commitment of Chinese Communists to enhance the well-being of the entire humanity, not only the powerful, without taking advantage of the week.
Indeed, many countries have become part of the vision to build a community with a shared future. More than 100 countries support such initiatives as the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).
More than three-quarters of countries across the world have joined the family of the Belt and Road cooperation. The Forum for Africa-China Cooperation (FOCAC), which includes all African countries with diplomatic relations with China, and the African Union (AU) will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
FOCAC as the prime platform for Africa-Chinacooperation accounts for mutually beneficial cooperation whose observable impact is showcased in massive infrastructure, water, agriculture, and energy projects across the African continent, creating employment opportunities, and powering economic growth and development in Africa.
Fundamentally such cooperation is firmly rooted in international solidarity, true friendship, mutually respect, trust and respect for the national sovereignty and independence of other states, however big or small.
Working together, world leaders must provide a strong foundation for a multipolar world order rooted in shared norms and respect amongst all citizens of the world in their cultural and historical diversity. As we say in Africa, I am because you are.
*Gideon H Chitanga is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Africa China Studies (CACS), University of Johannesburg