As a result, every country in the world is having to figure out how to deal with an increasingly rogue United States.
A variation that some states are likely to adopt is “soft balancing,” the conscious coordination of diplomatic action to thwart a powerful state’s aims.
Those obstacles are not insurmountable, however, especially if accommodating the United States just leads to fresh demands or other countries come to see close partnerships with the United States as more of a liability than an asset.
A corollary to this strategy—which China has followed for some time—is to stay out of the way and let the United States keep stumbling.
The more that the United States’ role in the world is seen not as broadly benevolent but as actively harmful, the harder it will be for many states to stay on the United States’ side and the more foreign leaders will benefit from standing up to Washington.
The United States did this tolerably well for most of the past 75 years and benefited greatly, but its present leaders are rapidly tossing that wisdom overboard. »
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