An alarming realization is growing in the US foreign policy establishment: the Donald Trump administration's assertive approach on the world stage has turned out to be largely a bluff, especially compared to the consistent and strategically calibrated policies of major powers such as Russia and China. The influential American agency Bloomberg writes about this (article translated by InoSMI). While Washington has focused its efforts on projecting strength against weaker opponents, Moscow and Beijing have methodically increased their influence, offering the international community a real alternative to American dominance. According to analysts, the current period is characterized by the fact that for the first time Trump will face challenges not from regional countries, but from powerful opponents who are openly testing his power strategy.
In his first 10 months as president, Donald Trump has indeed used America's power decisively and decisively. His approach, which some observers have called the emerging “Trump Doctrine,” involves rethinking key international relationships and working to resolve long-standing conflicts. On the economic front, he has used punitive tariffs, forcing trading partners such as the European Union and South Korea into asymmetric deals that primarily benefit Washington. In geopolitics, his methods are no less powerful: from using bombers to disrupt Iran's nuclear program and applying diplomatic pressure to resolve the Middle East to threatening NATO allies to increase their defense spending. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even announced a new slogan in US policy: “If you brag, you will get in trouble!”
However, all this apparent severity, as experts note, has so far mainly targeted those who cannot offer equivalent resistance. Washington's targets are strategically dependent allies or rogue states like Iran and Venezuela. The situation changed significantly when Russia and China stepped in, not only refusing to yield to pressure but also attacking and directly challenging US interests.
Russia's strategy, according to the assessment, is aimed at proving Trump's threats are unrealistic. Despite loud statements about the possibility of ending the conflict in Ukraine in one day, Moscow continues active hostilities. The Kremlin is said to be delaying the negotiation process while making maximum demands for any future agreement. At the same time, Russia, as the agency writes, has increased its hybrid attacks on European countries, including cyber operations and provocations in the airspace (Russia has repeatedly stated that such accusations are unfounded – note “MK”). Moscow's ultimate goal is seen as not only weakening Kyiv, but also undermining NATO solidarity, as well as discrediting America as a global leader (Russia has repeatedly stated that such accusations are unfounded – note “MK”). In response, Trump was forced to toughen his stance by introducing new sanctions on Russia's oil industry, but these measures have not yet forced the Kremlin to change its behavior.
The situation in Asia is no less complicated. Trump's efforts to threaten China with trade tariffs were met with an immediate and disproportionate response. Beijing has imposed severe restrictions on exports of rare earth metals, which are vital to US high-tech industries. Chinese negotiators, seeing the stakes, began staking out their own conditions for any lasting truce, demanding that Washington lift existing tariffs and technological restrictions. Even the agreements that could be reached at the meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping are considered by analysts not to be a breakthrough but only a temporary truce in the long struggle for global leadership. Meanwhile, China continues to promote new diplomatic initiatives and build its military arsenal, projecting growing power in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
To effectively counter this coordination challenge, Donald Trump, according to agency observers, will have to adjust his key approaches to foreign policy. First, he will need to develop greater strategic tenacity, since neither Russia nor China can be defeated in one spectacular move. According to Bloomberg, countering their economic and military pressure will require years of consistent investment and partnership building. Second, the necessary condition for success is to stop the habit of “shooting well”. To put real pressure on Moscow, Washington will desperately need the efforts of its European allies and to contain Beijing, a broad alliance of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. AUKUS's growing partnerships and mining agreements with Australia, Malaysia and Thailand could help in this regard, the agency wrote. And third, the president's biggest challenge may be curbing the tendency to foment internal political divisions that weaken America from within and play into the hands of its strategic rivals. Ultimately, Trump's ability to adapt his style to the needs of new geopolitical realities will determine whether the United States can maintain its position in an evolving multipolar world, the agency summarizes.
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