created by Alert-Algae-6674 on 06/03/2025 at 19:15 UTC
64 upvotes, 28 top-level comments (showing 25)
Trump's foreign policy actions have definitely strained the relationships between the US and most of its Western allies. I've heard that in Canada, Trump's tariffs have helped galvanize patriotism, while Trump's meeting with Zelensky caused Europe to come together in support of Ukraine. But how is this actually changing politics of these countries?
Comment by AutoModerator at 06/03/2025 at 19:15 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by AlamutJones at 07/03/2025 at 08:30 UTC
122 upvotes, 5 direct replies
One interesting thing I’ve noticed isn’t about the left of politics, but the right - certainly in Australia, our mainstream conservative politicians are consciously trying to put some distance between themselves and Trump. Still conservative, but not wanting to be seen as **that kind** of conservative…
Comment by PremiumTempus at 07/03/2025 at 09:35 UTC
42 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Trump- and many Americans, perhaps influenced by media-driven propaganda or years of ingrained exceptionalism, have misjudged their country’s true standing. There’s a widespread belief that the US can act without consequence- imposing tariffs, seizing resources, and making unilateral decisions without repercussions. Even my American friend, a Democrat, has an inflated sense of the US’s global importance.
The reality is that if the EU chose to chart their own course, they have the economic and geopolitical strength to do so. EU is the second largest economy in the world and, if the US continues down this trajectory for four years, is likely to become the stronger economy.
He’s united Europe in a way I’ve never seen in history. Trump has united left and right across Europe in condemning his actions. Not only this, even our far right have disassociated themselves from him, and condemn his actions. The damage this is doing to the US is unprecedented. This has been the ultimate betrayal by the US to Europe’s biggest crisis since WWII, and I think there will be a soviet-level hatred of the US across Europe for a long long time to come…
Comment by Due-Resort-2699 at 07/03/2025 at 08:37 UTC*
54 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Left wing parties are seeing increases in the polls because of Trumps actions pissing off many nations, and right wing parties are distancing themselves from the US due to that.
Basically Trumps actions have united the right and left in many US allies
Comment by clouds_to_africa at 07/03/2025 at 08:50 UTC*
24 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Not necessarily left-wing politics, but what I can see is that (at least temporarily), he brought different parties closer. The polarization seems less, while unity takes place. This is due to Trump being a threat to the world order as we know it, so countries have to stay united and not succumb to polarization. It remains to be seen whether this is a "rally around the flag" effect, or it's permanent - I guess this also depends on Trump. As long as he has a new batshit crazy take every day, countries will distance themselves more and more, meaning their influence and power weaken, which leads to desiring more unity.
Look at EU as a whole - they just did something extraordinary because of Trump (800 billion rearmament, coalition of the willing, etc.). Or look at Canadians, who, with a smile on their face, stand united against the USA and would endure economic hardship just to defend their nation. Or Ukraine, where Zelensky has an astronomical favourability after what went down in the Oval Office. They are now counterattacking and have tactical successes (not for long though, because Trump disabled U.S. weapons and intelligence, so they can't shoot down stuff and can't do long-range strikes, both of which are crucial to the war effort).
Long story short: more unity, less polarization, because of a common threat: Trump. This will have very strong consequences on the U.S. economy, but it can't be seen yet.
Comment by Adonbilivit69 at 07/03/2025 at 11:27 UTC
14 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I think in Europe we are seeing far right parties move away from trump, such as Nigel farage’s reform party in the UK, and Le Pen’s front nationale in France. JD Vance’s insulting rhetoric against UK involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan really didn’t help either.
I think what is not being talked about enough is the impact trump’s policies are having in states that are in the process of becoming authoritarian states. For example the pro-Russian government in Georgia has used trump and Elon’s rhetoric around USAID calling it a regime change agency as an excuse to clamp down on civil society in general. We are also seeing more silly right wingers doing the Nazi salute as a dog whistle to their supporters, eg the crazy Romanian presidential candidate georgescu did a sneaky salute coming out of the police station after he was arrested.
Comment by graphicsRat at 07/03/2025 at 10:09 UTC
15 upvotes, 1 direct replies
My concern is that extreme Trumpism, as I am calling the chaos of his second term, will become the norm for the Republican party. Post Trump, some desperate candidate looking to forge ahead of the pack will promise Trump style isolationism and sadly too many registered Republicans will look back at Trump's era fondly and ignore the utter chaos that accompanied it. And so alliances and treaties that have been mended will be torn down again. The US will become the cat of the world exiting and then resuming, or rather attempting to resume, it's role on the world stage every few year. Until it fades into irrelevance.
Comment by TanukiDev at 07/03/2025 at 11:01 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
In both France and Canada, not so much a rise on left wing or right wing. But a big patriotic unity overall. Canadian not willing to get bully by Trump, shift the polls on our next election, and Trudeau is view more positively.
In France, a lot of past resentment toward USA. Plus the rearmament of Europe to not be dependent on US anymore. Which is a big flip.
Comment by KitchenBomber at 07/03/2025 at 15:18 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We might be seeing the end of neoliberalism, which i know is a super loaded term but ill try to define it for my purposes.
Neo liberalism was the idea that by entangling our economies, we could make the costs of war so high that the countries would find alternatives and peace would reign. Despite all of the negative side effects that's been largely successful and the developed world has experienced a long stretch of peace and prosperity.
But the lever that was supposed to be used to keep bad actors in line, sanctions and isolation, only works if there is a unified view of what's right and that was never fully the case.
So the dominant economies ended up posing a direct threat to the economies that weren't in that club and the countries that weren't economically strong enough to have been invited in ended up getting kicked around by the big blocs that formed.
For a long time, those locked out groups have sought to destabilize the whole thing because it's been squeezing them to change in ways they don't want to. That's a goal Russia has now achieved. They've broken the north American trade bloc, they are driving wedges into the European trade bloc, they have seriously damaged NATO and they are set up to achieve even bigger victories on all of those fronts in the foreseeable future.
The result will be more isolationism, more disconnection, more conflict, more war and more opportunity for the states who had previously been subject to sanctions and isolation to pursue their anti-global goals.
So no, we're not seeing a resurgence if left wing politics. We're seeing the neoliberal dam break and all the right wing isolationists having a field day.
Comment by llynglas at 07/03/2025 at 13:53 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I don't think it's changing the needle on left/right, but anti American view is huge, and just ratcheting up. I thought Bush 2 was bad, and then Trump's first term, but the distaste for America is incredible. And this time I'm not sure the genie will go back into the bottle
Comment by xena_lawless at 07/03/2025 at 11:19 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
They should be beefing up their cyber and information warfare capabilities and election security, integrity, and audit procedures due to the lengths Russia has gone to to install their Asset in the US.
Everyone should read this FBI affidavit on the Department of Justice site, showing how Russia used impersonated news sites, targeted advertising, AI, bot accounts, and crypto laundering to influence the 2024 election and install their Asset in the Oval Office:
https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/media/1366261/dl[1][2]
1: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/media/1366261/dl
2: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/media/1366261/dl
These are not amateur operations to take over and destroy democracies.
Romania at least had the sense to re-do their Presidential election due to Russian interference, and they recently arrested 6 people for working with Russian agents to leave NATO.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2yl2zxrq1o[3][4]
3: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2yl2zxrq1o
4: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2yl2zxrq1o
https://www.g4media.ro/six-people-arrested-in-romania-for-treason-over-alleged-negotiations-with-russian-agents-to-leave-nato.html[5][6]
NATO was an agreement to keep the Russians out physically, but there needs to be a similar concerted effort to drive the Russians out of the world's democracies.
Comment by Illustrious-Site1101 at 07/03/2025 at 11:21 UTC
6 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Canada stands united in a way I have not seen in my lifetime. The maple MAGA crowd, with a few wacky exceptions, is moving away from American style politics. Our right wing party has lost support as people do not believe their leader will stand fast and not bow down to the American tyrant. American goods are shunned, American alcohol has been removed from shelves, travel to the US cancelled and I do not see the previous status quo returning. Even if all trade and sovereignty threats are resolved, I do not see the anger dissipating or a trusting relationship returning. Every time the tariffs are imposed and then rescinded the US loses a few cards from their hand and Canada gains more of a will to stand strong.
Comment by class1operator at 07/03/2025 at 08:30 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Hard to say. I've seen a lot more right leaning governments around the world lately but that could change
Comment by Eric848448 at 07/03/2025 at 15:57 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I suspect he scared the hell out of lot of potential AfD voters in Germany last month.
His antics could also save the Canadian Liberals this month
Comment by Dexterzol at 07/03/2025 at 17:15 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
In Sweden, it's brought about a form of unity across all the major political parties, both right wing and left wing politicians are voicing their disgust with Trump's behavior and their support for Ukraine. We are united in our contempt, you could say.
Nobody is especially sympathetic to any aspect of Trump's foreign policy and nobody holds any real faith in America.
But honestly, all it really took was the Greenland thing to piss off the Nordics as a whole.
Comment by Michael_Petrenko at 07/03/2025 at 09:10 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
What all of the world needs to understand - USA is not a reliable ally. Especially if you are not in rich county (like 2/3 of the world)
Comment by ConfusingConfection at 07/03/2025 at 21:57 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you want to make a bull case, this is THE reason why the EU will not only stay together, but begin to function and expand as a (limited) empire. Why?
1. Most obviously, just for the sake of making the point, with the absence of the United States, Europe is now forced to develop their security infrastructure. This does not happen in a vacuum - it forces the EU to also develop a more integrated economic structure, make its physical infrastructure compatible and interchangeable from its railway network to changing a tire to sourcing and manufacturing parts to maintain its energy infrastructure. It also has a "weeding out" effect wherein weaknesses are no longer tolerable. Germany has just thrown out its debt brake for military investment, which will almost certainly infuse the EU's largest economy with fresh blood, the EU is learning how to make problematic members (ie Hungary) irrelevant and is likely to formalize a forced exit process at some sort, and it is learning to more closely integrate non-members such as Iceland and the UK. You could write stacks of essays on this integration process alone, but in short, it is an evolutionary force of sorts that will force them to adapt by binding together to the point of functionally being a single state.
2. The sleeping bear here is Turkey. Turkey has the strongest fundamentals of any EU/NATO country and is posed to become a regional power. They have not been subtle about smelling blood these past few weeks - they want to fill the vacuum that the US is leaving behind and become a leader of NATO, or its successor organization. This is for three reasons. Firstly, Turkey is sometimes misunderstood as being friendly to Russia, when in actuality this isn't and has never been the case. Russia is an occasional convenience to play with but ultimately a thorn in Turkey's side, and that's not limited to the European theatre. Turkey sees this is an opportunity to pull that thorn out. Secondly, NATO has a worldwide network that Turkey wants to become more integrated with (think Japan and company). Thirdly, Turkey wants to pursue its ambitions in the Middle East and have maintain influence in Europe.
3. The EU will expand its worldwide ties. CANZUK, a long proposed EU-like union of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, has recently come back into the mix, but regardless of whether that takes shape the de facto new structure will be the Western Arc, spanning from the EU to UK to Canada to Japan to Australia to NZ. Note the historic relationships here - Quebec/France, the Commonwealth, UK/EU, etc. These countries all have existing relationships with China that there is begrudging yet mutual benefit to develop further, and the Western Arc will also expand its relationship with Russia. Yes, I said Russia. The current rendition of the Russian state will last another 30ish years. Their fundamentals are weak, and Kyiv, not Moscow, was the original and more organic power center of what I'll loosely call the former territory of "Kievian Rus". Moscow is a post-Mongol artificial construct. the Western Arc & Allies will seek control of the parts of modern Russia that are geographically favorable to it, like any other empire. They will look the other way as China (likely not a single country either by that point) takes much of the east, and Europe/Canada will secure the parts of its geography that are strategically viable (and defensible) to it, for example Crimea and ex-Finland and Kaliningrad. Separatist regions will take their cut, and there are quite a few of them. Nothing past the Urals makes any sense whatsoever for them though, and the majority of Russia's physical land will largely be the wasteland it always has been.
Note that the geographical boundaries might be slightly different - it's entirely possible that China, France, and the US duke it out over parts of Canada, or that the NE United States breaks away and joins the Western Arc. Short term, Ukraine is very likely to lose some of its territory. The United States will eventually shrivel to a mid-tier state - they have strong enough fundamentals to take care of themselves, likely as an authoritarian Russia-like but largely stable state, but other states will carve up their current global network as they forfeit it.
Comment by Common-Cents-2 at 07/03/2025 at 21:59 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Canadian here........most of us prefer the radical center........I feel sorry for what good Americans are having to live with.........Trump has succeeded in making friends enemies and enemies friends.......that speaks volumes.
Comment by -wanderings- at 08/03/2025 at 04:45 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
In Australia we're seeing a resurgence from.the Right. Previously safe seats that were first decades left leaning are now either a swing seat or trending conservative and the more radical right wing Party's are gaining traction.
Comment by democritusparadise at 08/03/2025 at 07:51 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Ireland just had an election thet was remarkable only because it was so unremarkable - no shift to the left or right, the result was almost identical to the last election, and extremely similar to the one before that, and the one before that, and so on.
I'd say Trump has a smaller effect on our politics than Israel does.
Comment by One_Bison_5139 at 08/03/2025 at 08:20 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The more America rips itself apart, the more it seems to increase the national unity in other countries, lol.
TBH I haven’t seen a level of national unity in Canada like this for a very long time. That’s what a mutual enemy will do to you.
Comment by nc197 at 08/03/2025 at 21:16 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Conservatives were absolutely going to win the next federal election in Canada. Then Trump initiated the tariffs and “51st state” talk and it has totally galvanized support around the Liberal government. Leading candidate to take over the Liberal Party tomorrow is former head of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. I was going to vote conservative, but having an experienced central banker at the helm to navigate us through the trade war Trump initiated is sounding pretty good to me right now. I’ll probably end up voting Liberal.
Comment by Ok_Candy9037 at 09/03/2025 at 12:21 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Sorry if my English is flawed - Trump seems to switch his oppinion on things rather often. Makes it even harder to read his intentions. He spoke out about putting additional sanction against Russia if they didnt end the war, now. This was said not long after Zelenskyj had left the US. Not gonna write things in stone. But it feels like Trump is just talking to stir the pot. Make things more chaotic in the world. As long as it benefits him and the USA? Or maybe not even that? Feels like hes speaking out just to sway the balance. The EU, at least, seems to addapt to whatever Trump is saying.
Comment by GemmaOrtwerthAuthor at 08/03/2025 at 05:26 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Trump’s influence on global politics—especially in other Western nations—has been a destabilizing force, fueling the rise of far-right movements while simultaneously pushing some leftist resistance. His political brand—rooted in nationalism, xenophobia, authoritarianism, and corporate dominance—has emboldened similar figures across Europe, Canada, and beyond, shifting the Overton window toward extremism. However, this has also created a counter-reaction, with some countries experiencing a renewed push for leftist policies as a direct response to Trumpist-style politics.
The Spread of Trumpism and the Far-Right Resurgence
One of Trump’s most significant impacts on global politics has been his normalization of far-right rhetoric and policies, giving legitimacy to nationalist, anti-immigrant, and anti-democratic forces worldwide. Leaders like Marine Le Pen in France, Giorgia Meloni in Italy, and Viktor Orbán in Hungary have capitalized on this wave, using Trump’s tactics—disinformation, culture war fearmongering, and attacks on institutions—to gain traction. • Europe’s Nationalist Shift: In several European countries, Trump’s presidency emboldened far-right parties that were previously seen as fringe movements. The AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) in Germany, the National Rally in France, and Brothers of Italy have all gained momentum, using rhetoric strikingly similar to Trump’s: anti-immigration hysteria, Euroskepticism, and appeals to economic protectionism. • The UK and Brexit Aftershocks: While Brexit predated Trump, his election further validated the populist, anti-globalist sentiment that fueled it. Figures like Boris Johnson adopted Trump-style tactics—brash nationalism, attacks on “the elites,” and an open disdain for international cooperation. • Orbán’s Hungary as a Trumpist Model: Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s authoritarian leader, has openly modeled his leadership on Trumpism, implementing harsh anti-immigrant policies, cracking down on press freedom, and cementing corporate oligarchy—all while maintaining a populist facade.
Trump’s impact isn’t just ideological—it’s economic as well. His trade wars and tariffs destabilized global markets, forcing countries like Canada, Germany, and China to reassess their economic dependence on the U.S. His withdrawal from international agreements (like the Paris Climate Accord) weakened collective action on major global issues, creating power vacuums that countries like China and Russia have sought to exploit.
The Left-Wing Resistance and Resurgence
That said, Trumpism hasn’t gone unchallenged. In some cases, the backlash to his policies has galvanized progressive movements, leading to renewed support for left-wing and pro-democracy policies. • Canada’s Response: Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods ignited a wave of economic nationalism, reinforcing public support for progressive economic policies and trade agreements outside of U.S. control. Justin Trudeau, despite being a centrist, had to position himself as a defender of Canadian sovereignty against Trump’s aggression, and leftist movements in Canada have since pushed harder for economic justice and social protections. • Europe and Ukraine Solidarity: Trump’s appeasement of Russia and weak stance on Ukraine pushed European nations to take a firmer stance against authoritarian aggression, leading to increased military and economic coordination between EU nations. In turn, this has strengthened center-left coalitions in some areas, as voters see the dangers of nationalism and isolationism. • Latin America’s Leftist Wave: While not typically grouped with “Western” nations, Latin America has seen a major resurgence of leftist governments, partially as a rejection of Trump-era policies that favored corporate exploitation and right-wing regimes. Leaders like Gustavo Petro in Colombia, Gabriel Boric in Chile, and Lula da Silva in Brazil have all risen on platforms that counteract Trump-style authoritarian capitalism.
So, Is There a Leftist Resurgence?
The answer is mixed. In some places, Trump’s influence has fueled reactionary nationalism, accelerating far-right power grabs. But in others, his presidency (and now, his continued influence under the Musk-Trump administration) has exposed the failures of conservative, corporate-driven governance, strengthening progressive movements that demand economic justice, human rights, and environmental action.
However, the left is still fighting an uphill battle. The far-right has spent years weaponizing disinformation, corporate media, and billionaire-backed think tanks to spread Trumpist ideology worldwide. While progressive movements are growing, they often struggle against the sheer funding and institutional power that right-wing forces have amassed.
If leftist and pro-democracy movements want to capitalize on this backlash, they need to move beyond simply opposing Trumpism and offer bold, clear alternatives—policies that center workers, dismantle corporate oligarchies, and address systemic inequities. Because as history shows, when people are left without a compelling progressive vision, they default to the reactionary politics of fear and division that Trump and his allies thrive on.
Comment by uknolickface at 07/03/2025 at 10:24 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Trump has been the leading Republican for 10 years now, but Biden was president for 4 years. Was that a resurgence in left wing politics? I would assume countries are actually further right as their biggest issue is immigration and Trump’s changes to the border might be inspiring.