讀後心得

U.S. President Trump announced the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on various countries, with Taiwan's rate set at 32%. After returning to the White House in 2025, Trump continued the policy of imposing tariffs and isolationism, an action that accelerated global multipolarization, undermined confidence in the United States, and led many countries to seek to escape America's instability. Trump's instinctive policies resulted in supply chain disruptions and market turmoil; he became a disruptor but failed to establish a new order. As the global system gradually de-Americanizes, countries are exploring diverse cooperative frameworks in preparation for a future without the United States. Trump's actions did not heal the ailments of the global system; instead, they taught other nations how to operate independently.

▲U.S. President Trump announced reciprocal tariff measures against countries around the world, with Taiwan facing a tax rate of 32%.

When Trump returned to the White House in 2025, his second term immediately continued a familiar script: increased tariffs, isolationism, and disdain for institutions. But this time, the level of destruction was deeper, and the consequences were more severe. His advocated "America First" was no longer just a domestic political slogan but rather a high-risk, comprehensive systemic disruption operation. In fact, he had become an "unauthorized political surgeon," conducting high-stakes surgery on the U.S.-led international order without warning. This self-imposed "treatment" did not restore American power but rather shattered old alliances and weakened global trust in the U.S., ironically accelerating the global multipolarization trend that Trump originally aimed to resist.

• 1. From "Containing China" to "Avoiding America"

  During Trump’s first term, the core question of global strategy was: "Are you opposed to China?" But entering the second term, the question shifted to: "Can we still afford to stand with America?" Trump elevated the tariff war again in 2025, and China and other countries quickly retaliated, leading to economic turmoil and prompting a reevaluation of global geopolitics. This backlash revealed a deeper reality: the U.S. was no longer seen as a stable institutional anchor. As a result, "de-risking" policies gradually evolved into "de-Americanization," with middle powers seeking to relieve the instability caused by the U.S.

• 2. Political Intuition Overrides Institutional Design

  The destructiveness of Trump’s strategy stemmed from its high reliance on intuition rather than institutions. Like an undiagnosed doctor performing surgery, he made policies arbitrarily, determining tariffs based on emotions while threatening alliances with dramatic rhetoric and openly denying multilateral frameworks. The consequences were foreseeable: supply chain disruptions, rising prices, and a collapse of trust. U.S. businesses were impacted, and allies began to retreat. Trump sacrificed governance effectiveness in the name of "performative politics," yet what underpins international legitimacy is governance, not performance.

• 3. The Collapse of the Trump Myth

  Trump once fashioned himself as a savior—an outsider capable of clearing institutional corruption and rebuilding a great America. However, the policies of his second term unveiled the truth: destruction is far easier than reconstruction. He not only failed to rebuild America but also tore apart social unity, alienated allies, and damaged the credibility of leadership. Even the tech and financial elites who once backed him due to tax reforms began to express strong concerns about the market volatility and damage to the nation's reputation brought by his policies. While Trump is not foolish, he embodies the saying: "A madman is more dangerous than a fool." He precisely exploited the weaknesses of the institutions but had no intention of establishing a sustainable new order.

• 4. Multipolarity: A Self-Preservation Mechanism for Institutions

  However, the world is not only withdrawing from the U.S. but also learning how to operate without it. A more decentralized global system has emerged, characterized by multiple power centers coexisting and interacting. The European Union is advancing "strategic autonomy," ASEAN is strengthening multilateral balance, and Africa and Latin America are experimenting with new models of South-South cooperation. These developments align closely with the multi-layered risk-benefit exchange strategies. The logic of cooperation between countries is no longer loyal to great powers and ideologies but is based on dynamic exchanges according to their own risks and interests. Faced with the political uncertainties of the U.S., they opt for institutional decentralization and regional cooperative diversifications.

• 5. A World Without the U.S.?

  Trump's second term is not an isolated incident but a deeper sign of the fragmentation of American institutions. This structural collapse transforms the U.S.'s global leadership role from a "constant" into a "variable," no longer a stable core of the world order. For other countries, this means they must prepare in advance and seek ways to navigate in a world where the U.S. is no longer reliable. The global order will not descend into chaos but will be reassembled in a more mixed, uneven, yet diverse form.

• 6. A Strategic Surgery Without a Recovery Plan

  The "unlicensed surgery" Trump performed on the global system did not heal the patient; rather, it forced other countries to establish their own "clinics." He rewrote the rules based on political intuition but offered no alternative plans. In this institutional vacuum, multipolar cooperation frameworks based on "risk-benefit exchanges," like MRIES, have become a realistically viable global order strategy. This is the paradox of Trump's policies: he attempted to make America great again but inadvertently taught the whole world how to survive without America.