The worldview shaped by the “unipolar moment” — the period after the Cold War when the United States wielded overwhelming influence over the international community — has changed dramatically over the past decade.
In August 2016, as U.S. President Barack Obama was preparing to leave office, he stated that “the U.S. should not act as the world’s policeman.” This reflected a growing belief that Washington should limit its role in securing the international order and be selective as to when to intervene abroad. As president, Donald Trump was a strong critic of Obama but shared this basic foreign policy understanding — as well as expressing frustration at allies’ excessive reliance on the U.S. for their defense.
According to opinion polls, inward-looking views — namely that the U.S. should prioritize domestic issues over international engagement — have become mainstream across party lines. The idea that the U.S. should provide international public goods such as a free trade system, financial institutions and international frameworks for the sake of the global order has receded.
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