On the Way to a Multi-Order World

The regulatory systems of international coexistence are under stress, says Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, vice president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. His claim: "The World Needs the West."

Whether it's the current issue of Iran, the trade conflict with China, or the meetings with North Korea, the world continues to be fascinated by U.S. President Donald Trump and his tweets. Has the age of going it alone in international politics dawned with him, Mr. Kleine-Brockhoff?

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff: No. The countries that have not been involved in multilateral alliance systems have always acted this way. That is not new. The special thing is: Now the liberal superpower that is the United States is falling into such a solitary policy, even though it had built a liberal system based on attractiveness and not on fear. One would think that it is really not in their interest to act in this way. But Trump is doing it, and it will work for some time, simply because the United States is a great power. But it's not going to work in the long run; Trump overestimates his capabilities.