Since the beginning of his second term, President Donald Trump has made it clear that he intends to restructure the declining international order, bolster the United States' hard power, and shift priorities to safeguard national interests, which he believes are under threat from the growth of the People's Republic of China. Over the last two decades, this country has expanded its presence, trade, investments, and influence across virtually the entire planet and is now perceived as a threat to US hegemony.

Likewise, Russia's development of strategic weapons and hypersonic missiles is a further cause for concern in Washington. Clashes of interest between these three great military powers could occur in the Arctic, Antarctica, the oceans, Africa, Asia, and space, to name a few places. For this reason, Pentagon strategists have developed a medium-term plan consisting of several stages, which we have been learning about.

The first step was for President Trump to send messages to allies, neighbors, rivals, and enemies. He told Canada that it could become a state of the Union, Denmark that he was interested in acquiring Greenland, Panama that it could reclaim the canal it built, and Mexico that he had renamed the Gulf, bathing the Mexican, US, and Cuban coasts, the Gulf of America, without consulting anyone.

A second message was for his friends in the European Union (EU): if they want US military protection, they must pay for it. Defense spending will increase from 2% to 5% of GDP for the 27 EU countries plus NATO partners. The United Kingdom is a privileged partner, or the 'Trojan horse of the Americans' as General de Gaulle called it, in 1963 and 1967, he vetoed its entry into the European Economic Community. President Trump stated that if the EU wishes to continue supporting Ukraine militarily, the United States will provide the weapons, but the Europeans must pay for them. This is because he believes Ukraine will neither defeat Russia nor recover the territories it has conquered.

He also granted Israel — another privileged partner — carte blanche to demolish Gaza, disregarding human and material losses. Israel can bomb Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Together with the United States, they planned an attack on Iran to destroy part of its nuclear capacity. The harsh reality is that Israel enjoys impunity, while the EU is becoming increasingly isolated by accepting the conditions imposed by the United States. This limits its ability to develop an autonomous policy, and it is renouncing its role as a leading player in world politics.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September, President Trump claimed to have ended seven wars: Cambodia with Thailand; Serbia with Kosovo; the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Rwanda; India with Pakistan; Israel with Iran; Egypt with Ethiopia; and Armenia with Azerbaijan. He also boasted that he had stopped the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza, although this has not actually ended. In almost all of the aforementioned wars, the main parties involved deny that the United States played a significant role, except in the cases of Pakistan and Gaza. Without blushing, President Trump has claimed the Nobel Peace Prize.

Washington's strategic compass is currently set on reorganizing the Middle East by eliminating the regimes in Iran and Yemen, and legitimizing Israel with the Arab countries and Türkiye — a task that will not be easy. President Trump welcomed former al-Qaeda terrorist and current Syrian president Ahmad al-Shara to the White House, promising to lift the harsh sanctions imposed on his country and demanding the resumption of relations with Israel. Time will tell if President al-Shara can first disarm and unite the various internal factions that remain in the country. In addition, he promised Russia that it would be able to maintain its naval and air bases in Syria.

In Latin America, Washington has decided to resume its former hegemonic role due to the region's strategic raw materials, China's growing presence, and the proximity of countries such as Chile and Argentina to Antarctica. Although President Trump already has allies in El Salvador, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Argentina, he knows this is not enough. Bolivia will undoubtedly become a new ally, while Mexico is difficult to subdue but absolutely dependent on its northern neighbor’s economy.

Brazil is the only country with an autonomous foreign policy, as demonstrated by its active leadership in the BRICS. It has not hesitated to confront President Trump, who pressed for the release of former president Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup. Brazil will hold presidential elections in October 2026, in which 80-year-old President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will seek re-election.

A hard-right government is likely to take office in Chile in March 2025, and Colombia will hold elections in May. Reelection is not permitted, so the current president, Gustavo Petro, will not be able to participate. A right-wing candidate could also win there. Trump seeks to overthrow three enemy countries in the region: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, under the pretext of drug trafficking, is part of the plan to overthrow the Caracas government first. To date, 20 boats allegedly carrying drugs have been destroyed, 11 in the Caribbean and nine in the Pacific, leaving around 80 people dead. This show of force is no longer simply an act of deterrence, and it would not be surprising if more serious incidents were to occur.

The concept of international law has ceased to exist for the Trump administration. In reality, the major powers have never considered it, as demonstrated by their violations of the United Nations Charter. Respect for treaties has lost its validity, as evidenced by the unilateral breach of solemn agreements signed with the United States, and tariffs are imposed according to the convenience of the strongest country.

In relation to military operations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio categorically contradicted EU High Commissioner Kaja Kallas's criticism of attacks in the Caribbean and the Pacific, saying: 'I don't think the European Union can determine what international law is. Of course, they cannot determine how the United States defends its national security, adding that the United States has every right to operate militarily in its hemisphere. In passing, he humiliated them by pointing out that they ‘ask us for Tomahawk missiles with nuclear capability to defend Europe, but when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere, then that is a problem’.

The U.S. government's signals, statements, and actions are not just a warning; they are unmistakable evidence of its firm determination to impose complete hegemony in the region.