THE modern international system is standing on a fault line, and the tremors are no longer subtle. The world is witnessing not merely the return of Donald Trump to the centre of global affairs, but the aggressive resurrection of a worldview that rejects multilateralism, undermines international law, and normalises force as a primary tool of diplomacy.
Prof. Kenney Marufu
In this context, Donald Trump is not simply a controversial political figure; he represents a systemic threat to global peace, economic stability, and the fragile balance holding together an increasingly multipolar world.
The recent US military action against Venezuela—undertaken without prior congressional approval—epitomises this danger. That the US Senate felt compelled to advance a war powers resolution to restrain presidential overreach speaks volumes about the severity of the moment. When the legislature of the world’s most powerful democracy must act defensively against its own executive to prevent international catastrophe, the global order is already in distress.
The Collapse of Predictable Diplomacy
For decades, international relations—however imperfect—were governed by a degree of predictability. States acted within known frameworks: the UN Charter, international conventions, regional alliances, and accepted norms of sovereignty. Trump’s approach shatters this architecture. His repeated rhetoric about deploying “boots on the ground” in Venezuela and his open discussion of redirecting between 30 and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the United States, with Washington deciding how much revenue to return to Caracas, amounts to a neo-colonial doctrine stripped of diplomatic language.
This is not merely reckless; it is historically regressive. It signals a return to 19th-century imperial logic, where military power dictated ownership of resources and political legitimacy flowed from force rather than law.
Venezuela, Oil, and the Petrodollar System
Venezuela is not an isolated case. It sits at the intersection of energy politics, currency dominance, and geopolitical rivalry. The country’s vast oil reserves are not just about fuel; they are about the petrodollar system—the arrangement that underpins US dollar supremacy by ensuring global oil trade is conducted in dollars.
As Venezuela, alongside other sanctioned states, explores alternative trading mechanisms—often involving China, Russia, or BRICS-linked financial systems—it directly challenges the dollar’s centrality. Trump’s hostility towards Caracas must therefore be understood as part of a broader struggle to preserve dollar hegemony in an era where dedollarisation is no longer theoretical but increasingly practical.
China, Multipolarity, and the End of Unipolar Comfort
The world is transitioning, whether Washington likes it or not, from a unipolar to a multipolar system. China’s rise is not simply economic; it is institutional. Through initiatives such as the Belt and Road, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and deepened engagement with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, Beijing is offering an alternative model of global engagement—one rooted in infrastructure, trade, and long-term strategic patience.
Unlike Washington, China does not routinely deploy military force to secure influence. Its soft power operates through economics, technology, and diplomacy. Trump’s confrontational posture—trade wars, sanctions, threats of military action—reflects an inability to adapt to this new reality. The United States is attempting to freeze history, while the rest of the world is moving forward.
BRICS and the Rebellion of the Global South
The expansion and growing relevance of BRICS is a direct response to Western unilateralism. Countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America have grown weary of a system where rules are selectively applied, sanctions are weaponised, and sovereignty is respected only when convenient to Western interests.
Africa, in particular, has become more assertive. The African Union’s condemnation of US actions against Venezuela signals a shift in continental diplomacy. African states increasingly see their own histories reflected in Venezuela’s experience—resource-rich nations subjected to external interference under the guise of democracy, human rights, or security.
Russia, Putin, and Strategic Resistance
Russia’s response to US unilateralism is neither accidental nor impulsive. Under Vladimir Putin, Moscow has positioned itself as a counterweight to Western dominance, particularly in defence of state sovereignty. The seizure of vessels accused of transporting Venezuelan oil, including those linked to Russia, further escalates tensions and underscores Washington’s willingness to assert extraterritorial jurisdiction in defiance of maritime law.
While the West routinely frames Russia as a destabilising actor, it is increasingly evident that Moscow is reacting to a system in which rules are rewritten by force rather than consensus.
NATO, Hypocrisy, and the Greenland Paradox
Perhaps the most glaring contradiction in Western politics is the selective outrage over territorial integrity. Europe’s muted response to US actions in Venezuela contrasts sharply with its vocal condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The sudden European alarm when Trump reiterated threats to take over Greenland—an autonomous territory of Denmark—reveals the true hierarchy of concern: violations matter only when Western interests are directly affected.
The idea that a NATO member could militarily threaten another NATO-associated territory exposes the alliance’s internal fragility. If NATO cannot restrain its most powerful member, its credibility as a collective security organisation is fundamentally compromised.
Israel, Gaza, Iran, and the Normalisation of Permanent Conflict
Trump’s foreign policy worldview also entrenches instability in the Middle East. Unconditional support for Israel, even amid devastating humanitarian crises in Gaza, reinforces perceptions that international law is selectively enforced. Meanwhile, escalating hostility towards Iran—through sanctions, covert operations, and military posturing—keeps the region in a constant state of brinkmanship.
This permanent-war mentality feeds global insecurity and increases the risk of nuclear escalation, particularly as regional powers seek deterrence in an increasingly lawless international environment.
Right-Wing Extremism, White Supremacy, and Global Echoes
Trumpism does not exist in a vacuum. It emboldens right-wing movements globally—white supremacy groups in the US, far-right populists in Europe, and ethno-nationalist currents elsewhere. In Southern Africa, historical tensions surrounding land, race, and power—particularly involving Boer identity and South Africa’s unresolved colonial legacy—are increasingly reframed through global right-wing narratives that resist redistribution and transformation.
This ideological export undermines social cohesion far beyond US borders.
Nuclear Risk and the Death of Arms Control
Perhaps the gravest danger lies in the erosion of nuclear restraint. The abandonment of arms control agreements, the casual rhetoric around force, and the delegitimisation of international institutions all increase the probability of miscalculation. In a multipolar nuclear world, recklessness is not survivable.
Conclusion: A Wrecking Ball in a Fragile World
Donald Trump campaigned on ending wars. Yet his record and rhetoric suggest the opposite: an acceleration of conflict, a dismantling of global cooperation, and a return to power politics untempered by law. In a world already strained by economic inequality, climate change, and technological disruption, such leadership is not merely irresponsible—it is existentially dangerous.
The international system does not need a strongman. It needs restraint, dialogue, and a renewed commitment to multilateralism. Without that, the “law of the jungle” will replace international law, and history warns us that such periods never end peacefully.
In this sense, Donald Trump is not just a threat to world peace. He is a symptom of a deeper crisis—one that the world must confront before instability becomes irreversible.
The writer Prof. Kennedy Marufu teaches International Relations and the Global Economy at the University of Zimbabwe.
