Author: Sang Hyun Lee
Published: June 2026
THE INTERNATIONAL order is undergoing a profound transformation. The rules-based and liberal international order established under US leadership after the Second World War is gradually giving way to a more fragmented and contested environment characterized by growing challenges to international law, multilateralism and free trade. These changes are driven in part by shifts in US foreign policy and evolving perceptions of America’s global role. Increasingly, the US appears less willing to bear the costs of sustaining the existing international order and is more inclined to pursue narrowly defined national interests. Critics have characterized President Donald Trump’s approach as a form of “wrecking-ball politics” that challenges long-standing assumptions about American leadership.
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The article was published by Global Asia.
The Romanian Institute for Europe-Asia Studies (IRSEA) and Global Asia Forum a Journal of East Asia Foundation. have agreed to enter into an informal agreement on republishing their studies and analysis.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA.