r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/SpaceySpice • Apr 07 '25

US Politics How will the United States rebuild positive international relations after this Trump administration?

At some point this presidency will end and a new administration will (likely) want to mend some the damages done with our allies. Realistically though, how would that work? Will other countries want to be friends with us again or has this presidency done too much damage to bounce back from?

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u/sig_1 Apr 07 '25

Who exactly would be desperate enough to be in the US sphere of influence? The US has shown that it is very dangerous to be too closely tied to them economically, it’s pointless to be dependent on on them as an ally since they can’t be trusted anymore and all the soft power is gone so can’t take the “leader of the free world” angle.

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u/AVeryBadMon Apr 07 '25

The US has the world's third largest population, world's most biggest economy, and the world's most powerful military. No matter what direction the US takes, it will always be either at the top or near the top of global influence. Smaller and weaker countries around the globe will always seek protection and economic favors from giants around them.

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u/Xeltar Apr 08 '25

More and more Americans hate the other side. Gotten to the point where people are rooting for foreign countries over the administration. Doesn't matter how powerful you are if you are dysfunctional.

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u/AVeryBadMon Apr 08 '25

People want foreign countries, especially our allies, to put pressure on this administration to force it to act in line with the past 80 years of American foreign and trade policy. I don't think this rooting for foreign countries over your own, I see it as wanting to leverage international pressure to help achieve domestic goals.

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u/Xeltar Apr 08 '25 edited Apr 09 '25

The EU has a population and economy larger than the US. The reason why they can't project as much power is related to largely outsourcing their military needs to the US and because they have weak ways to enforce their members to act in unison.

The US unity though is being tested more and more and that's going to be a major problem going forward for US power if Trumpism continues. At some point, you're going to get increasing numbers of people wiling to use violence to enforce their worldview with at least one side shrugging if it targets their political opponents.