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EXPERT COMMENT

As Trump takes aim at global norms and institutions, the question of what parts of the post-Cold War order can be saved – and for whom – requires urgent attention.

During his first week in office, US President Trump took aim at the norms and institutions of the post-Cold War order, from global management of climate and health to international trade rules. For a decade or more, big players – including Washington – have edged away from the global governance ambitions set in the more internationalist 1990s. Trump’s actions therefore portend a permanent shift in the landscape – not just a switch that flips back in four years’ time.

Although the pullout from the Paris Climate Accords was expected, many observers were more surprised by Trump pulling the US out of the World Health Organization, and out of negotiations on a pandemic treaty intended to prevent another global crisis on the scale of COVID-19.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.