Donald Trump’s transactional approach to foreign relations depends on bargaining power: the ability to compel other countries to reach agreements that serve your interests. But it turns out that middle powers have plenty of advantages in such a world, even when they are smaller, poorer, and militarily weaker than great powers.
WASHINGTON, DC – The week of Donald Trump’s return to the White House may seem like an odd time to emphasize the growing strength and agency of non-Western middle powers such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. After all, Trump declared in his inaugural address that “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world,” before announcing that the United States would “take back” the Panama Canal.
WASHINGTON, DC – The week of Donald Trump’s return to the White House may seem like an odd time to emphasize the growing strength and agency of non-Western middle powers such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. After all, Trump declared in his inaugural address that “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world,” before announcing that the United States would “take back” the Panama Canal.