英文

Editorial:Trump's Law of the Jungle in US's "Golden Age"

【明報專訊】SWORN IN as US President, Donald Trump hails a so-called "revolution of common sense", which in essence denies the liberal values of traditional elites in the US. From domestic affirmative measures to international multilateral cooperation, all these practices are facing major challenges. The foundation of the "golden age of America" Trump spoke of in his inauguration address is an international order based on the law of the jungle and a complete ideological makeover by the right wing.

In his inaugural speech, Trump spoke extensively about how "the golden age of America begins right now" and "America's decline is over". Many of his remarks carried the undertone of criticising the former administration. He announced the launch of a "revolution of common sense" in a bid to "begin the complete restoration of America". The "common sense" he mentioned is in fact a set of "common sense" judgments from the US right-wing perspective, embodied in different dimensions of domestic and foreign affairs. The array of measures enacted by the Biden administration but deemed "anti-common sense" must be repealed as soon as possible.

In the eyes of Trump and the American right wing, "anti-common sense" liberal policies include diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) measures to protect minorities and the underprivileged. Another kind is environmental actions that reduce carbon emissions to curb global warming, which prevent the US from further extracting fossil fuels. Also on the list is the international multilateral cooperation mechanism, which "encumbers" America from getting its own way, and so on.

Right after taking office, Trump signed executive orders to repeal a provision allowing over 10,000 transgender troops to serve in the military and to declare that the federal government would recognise only two genders, male and female. He also declared a "national energy emergency" as he promised to "drill, baby, drill." Trump's combat against the COVID-19 pandemic during his first presidency was a complete mess. He ignored science himself but blamed the World Health Organisation (WHO) and US health specialists such as Anthony Fauci. His decree to pull out of the WHO now underscores his contempt for international organisations, especially those refusing to kowtow to Washington.

The US is seen as the beacon of democracy in the liberal world. Its liberal values are also looked upon by many as golden principles or even "universal values". The essence of the "rule-based international order" touted by US or western elites is actually a liberal global order. Any country that does not believe in it is a "potential threat" to the global order, forming the so-called "democracy versus authoritarianism" dichotomy.

However, the developments over the past decade have shown that the biggest threat to liberalism comes internally from the western world. The economic nationalism flaunted by Trump 1.0 was in fact already a portent. The pursuit of Trump 2.0 will even be a complete overhaul of social ideology and international order.

Trump 2.0 does not only seek economic protectionism, but also carries a strong tone of expansionism. In his inaugural address, Trump mentioned again "taking back" the Panama Canal. Furthermore, his earlier remarks that "Canada is the 51st state of America" and demanded Denmark offer Greenland to the US were obviously infringing on other countries' territorial sovereignty. One cannot simply regard them as displays of bargaining strategies. The international order is entering a new era of the law of the jungle with Trump pushing ahead with power diplomacy and preying on the weak. How other countries are responding will be the focus of concern in the time to come.

明報社評 2025.01.22:特朗普高談「常識革命」 「黃金時代」就是弱肉強食

特朗普宣誓就任美國總統,開啟所謂「常識革命」,本質就是否定美國傳統精英的自由主義價值,無論是國內平權措施,還是國際多邊合作,統統面臨重大考驗。他在就職演說所談的「美國黃金時代」,建基的是「叢林法則為本的國際秩序」,以及右翼意識形態大改造。

特朗普在就職演說大談「美國黃金時代現在展開」、「美國衰落結束了」,不少內容都有批評前朝的味道。他提到要開啟一場「常識革命」,「全面修復美國」。特朗普所謂的「常識」,乃是美國右翼世界觀下的「常識」,體現於內政外交不同領域,拜登政府所頒布的一系列「反常識」措施,必須盡快廢除。

在特朗普及美國右翼眼中,自由派「反常識」的做法,包括保障小眾及弱勢群體的「多元、公平與包容(DEI)」措施、妨礙美國加強開採化石燃料的減排抗暖化環保措施,以及令美國處處「受制」、未能為所欲為的國際多邊主義合作機制,等等。

特朗普甫上台就簽署行政命令,廢除允許逾萬名跨性別軍人服役的做法,以及宣布聯邦政府僅承認男性與女性這兩個性別。他又宣布「國家能源緊急狀態」,因為「我們會鑽井、鑽井」。特朗普當年抗疫一塌糊塗,自己不講科學,卻怪罪世衛和福奇等美國衛生專家,現在頒令退出世衛,突顯他對國際機構的藐視,尤其是當這些組織並不唯美是從。

美國被視為自由世界民主「燈塔」,自由主義價值也被很多人奉為圭臬甚至是「普世價值」。美國西方精英所講的「規則為本國際秩序」,本質就是自由主義國際秩序,但凡不信奉的國家都是國際秩序「潛在威脅」,形成所謂「民主對專制」的二元論述。

然而過去10年的事態發展,卻顯示自由主義的最大威脅來自西方世界內部。「特朗普1.0」所標榜的經濟民族主義,其實已是一個徵兆,「特朗普2.0」所尋求的,更是社會意識形態和國際秩序的全面改造。

「特朗普2.0」所奉行的,不僅是經濟保護主義,還有強烈的擴張主義色彩。特朗普就職演說重提要「收回」巴拿馬運河,還有之前有關「加拿大是美國第51州」、要求丹麥將格陵蘭交給美國等說法,明顯冒犯別國領土主權,不能簡單以「討價還價」策略視之。特朗普奉行強權外交、弱肉強食,國際秩序邁向叢林法則新時期,各國如何應對,將是未來一段時間焦點所在。

/ Glossary生字 /

encumber:​to make it difficult for sb to do sth or for sth to happen

kowtow :to show sb in authority too much respect and be too willing to obey them

portent:​a sign or warning of sth that is going to happen in the future, especially when it is sth unpleasant

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