Trump’s real estate slant on foreign policy further erodes the rules-based order

Throughout the 1950s and 1970s, national liberation movements in the Third World faced similar dilemmas as they struggled against European colonialism. The departing colonial powers left behind deeply entangled regions, interwoven ethnic communities, and linguistically diverse populations, compounded by stark economic disparities and uneven distribution of natural resources. These unresolved tensions became ticking time bombs, later exploding into both international conflicts and civil wars.

A parallel scenario unfolded following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Newly independent former Soviet republics, along with former satellite states, were soon engulfed in internal conflicts. The most devastating of these occurred in the former Yugoslavia, where long-suppressed nationalistic and religious hostilities resurfaced after decades of containment under Josip Broz Tito's rule. Meanwhile, other regions, including Central Asia and the Caucasus, also descended into violent turmoil.

Historical precedent

Yet, Trump's impulse to acquire foreign lands and displace entire populations is not a sudden whim. History provides ample precedent—from Western involvement in Kosovo's secession from Serbia to Russia's annexation of Crimea and the United States' endorsement of Israel's annexation of the occupied Golan Heights. These actions have set legal precedents that, in many cases, flagrantly contradict international law. However, institutions entrusted with upholding these legal norms have often been rendered powerless to respond effectively. In some instances, even the United Nations has tacitly supported such manoeuvres.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, with Moscow demanding territorial concessions and establishing two self-proclaimed "people's republics" in areas under Kyiv's sovereignty, voices have emerged advocating for a pragmatic acceptance of the new reality. Some have even suggested granting President Vladimir Putin territorial concessions and barring Ukraine from joining NATO as a means to end the conflict. Such arguments mark a clear departure from the principle of respecting established borders.

Normalisation of Palestinian death 

Further compounding this trend is the global silence in the face of Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The widespread "understanding" of Israel's objective to dismantle Hamas following the "Al-Aqsa Flood" attack—despite the indiscriminate killing of children and women—has only deepened the erosion of international law and accountability.

Meanwhile, the US and other Western nations have criticised and even penalised institutions tasked with safeguarding these principles, such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

Trump's real estate-driven view of national sovereignty furthers the erosion of global institutions, whose rulings have been systematically ignored for geopolitical gain

This regression had now reached alarming levels, where talk of forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan to clear space for luxury resorts in Gaza is now actually being entertained with a straight face—a chilling regression to the pre-modern era before the very notion of the nation-state took shape.