Trump, Disruption, and the Reckoning of a Colonial World

"Sometimes it takes a storm to reveal the cracks in the foundation." — Donald Trump’s return to the global stage has done just that, exposing the fragility of an international order still rooted in colonial-era hierarchies.
Colonial Shadows, Modern Strains
Global institutions—from the UN to NATO and the WTO—were designed by post-WWII victors. Their frameworks continue to favor the Global North, leaving emerging powers like India, Brazil, and South Africa pushing for reform. Trade rules, security alliances, and climate negotiations often reflect Western priorities, sidelining voices from the Global South.
As an Indian diplomat put it, “The rules were written when we were still subjects, not partners. Change is long overdue.”
The Maverick Disruptor
Trump’s leadership upends norms. Rejecting multilateralism, withdrawing from international agreements, and treating diplomacy like a negotiation table has unsettled allies and adversaries alike. Tariffs on allies, pressure on Russia, and fluctuating relations with China and India illustrate his transactional worldview.
He publicly accused European nations of hypocrisy for buying Russian energy while condemning Moscow’s aggression, proposing trade penalties as solutions. In Ukraine, he claimed, “I can make deals others cannot even imagine,” highlighting his belief in personal leverage over institutional process.
Peace or Expediency?
The Doha deal with the Taliban exemplifies Trump’s paradoxical legacy. Marketed as peace, it enabled U.S. withdrawal but left Afghan society vulnerable. Critics call it moral abdication; supporters hail it as the long-overdue end of America’s longest war. Trump framed it as one of “seven unendable wars ended in seven months.”
In Gaza, he pressed for hostages’ release while opposing recognition of a Palestinian state—a strategy blending moral rhetoric with transactional politics.
Climate and Migration: The “Double-Tailed Monster”
Trump’s skepticism of collective solutions extends to climate and migration. He withdrew from the Paris Agreement, criticised green energy policies as a “double-tailed monster”, and accused the UN of “funding an assault on Western borders.”
His proposals to restrict asylum rights challenge post-WWII humanitarian frameworks. While appealing to nationalist constituencies, they sparked global criticism for undermining decades of international norms.
The UN Under Fire
Trump’s disdain for institutions is both theatrical and strategic. Critiquing UN inefficiency, he claimed, “I offered to rebuild it for $500 million, but they spent billions and didn’t even get the marble floors I promised.” Beyond the theatrics lies a critique of bureaucratic inertia and the limitations of an inequitable system.
Shiva’s Cosmic Churn
The Indian myth of Samudra Manthan—where churning produces both poison and nectar—aptly mirrors Trump’s global impact. His disruption brings toxicity to the surface, but also forces recalibration, exposing alliances, trade dependencies, and institutional weaknesses.
“Without disturbance, entrenched systems rarely evolve,” says a global strategist. Trump’s approach forces the world to confront the imbalances and hypocrisies embedded in international governance.
Disruption as Mirror and Catalyst
Trump is neither a reformer nor a mere provocateur. He functions as a mirror, reflecting the contradictions of a colonial-era global order. Ethical ambiguities abound, yet his presidency has forced nations to reassess alliances, diversify strategies, and reconsider multilateralism’s limits.
As one analyst notes, “Trump may be reckless, but he makes visible what others ignore: the inequality, inertia, and hypocrisy baked into global governance.”
Disruption, in this sense, may be a necessary evil—not for intent, but for effect. The churn he has unleashed could pave the way for a more just, inclusive, and multipolar world.

(K G sharma Freelance journalist Retired from Indian Information Services. Former senior editor with DD News, AIR News, and PIB. Consultant with UNICEF Nigeria. Contributor to national and international media.-View are personal.)