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Cover Story

Shifting Global Axis

US President Donald Trump’s dictatorial ways have changed the ways of global diplomacy

By Justice (R) M. Shaiq Usmani | February 2026


John Quincy Adams, who helped draft the “Monroe” Doctrine and James Monroe himself who expounded the Doctrine in 1823 which was the guiding principle of American foreign policy during late nineteenth and early twentieth century aimed towards expansion of American state, must be turning in their graves seeing Monroe Doctrine converted into Don-roe Doctrine in 21st century aiming to dominate the region in the style of “Bully on the Block” through machinations of U.S. President Donald Trump rather than through dexterous use of diplomatic tools adequately supported by use of force.

Trump’s dictatorial ways, exhibited in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, from his presidential place and presenting him before a court in New York to face charges of election fraud in his own country, and dealing in drugs, have changed the ways of diplomacy that prevailed hereto. So far, after the end of the Cold War, the principle in international politics came to be non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. The days of gunboat diplomacy that prevailed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when America, because of its vast resources and military power, could interfere in the affairs of other countries in its region at will, have been replaced by economic blackmail through tariff diplomacy backed by enormous military might.

The question is how and why this has happened. The answer lies in the enormous transformation of China, which has, in the last two decades, emerged as a credible military as well as an economic power and is not interested in increasing its influence as did America through browbeating smaller countries by projecting its military power, but by supporting and assisting smaller South Asian nations militarily as well as economically. It has thus given up its earlier jingoistic attitudes with countries with which it did not see eye to eye, such as India. China has, therefore, increased its influence not only in South Asian Countries but even in Africa, and is poised to extend it to other countries with relatively little influence in the world, such as countries of South America and the Middle East.

It is the perception of this threat from China and also China’s steps to replace the US Dollar with the Yuan as the currency of trade with smaller countries that has caused the USA to suddenly show and assert its might, even to its long-standing allies in Europe. Ordinarily, it would have been difficult for China to do so and compete with the USA, but the phenomenal increase in its ability to use Technology without resorting to Jingoism has made it possible for it to do so. Not only that, but China has also shown its willingness to export its expertise in technology to other smaller countries with a view to increasing its influence.


The only drawback that China faced in this venture in the South Asian region was its constant tussle with India. Intrinsically, China never desired to take on India itself because, while in the event of any conflict, China may eventually prevail, it would certainly end up being bruised substantially in the interim. China thus needed some other country to humble India rather than doing so itself. In this connection, Pakistan was the ideal partner for China. Still, the question was that even though, for historical reasons, Pakistan was psychologically ever ready to confront India, would it be able to check them and eventually rout them? Thus, China invested a great deal of effort and resources to build up Pakistan technologically, with emphasis on the military. The success that Pakistan displayed against India in the recent three-day war with India, where Pakistan was able to completely outflank India with the assistance of Chinese technology in the military field, showed the world and particularly the Americans that China was a rival to be taken seriously.

Pakistan can never become like Türkiye, which can meet Europe on equal terms, nor can it be accepted at its face value by the Middle Eastern countries

America, of course, being aware of its longstanding military relationship with Pakistan, knew that, despite its closeness to China, if handled properly, Pakistan would indeed fall within its lap, hence Trump’s surprising bonhomie with Pakistan. Indeed, Pakistanis, psychologically, have always desired a close relationship with Americans. Children of most of the elite in Pakistan study in the USA, and practically all of them have homes in America. Nevertheless, the principle that “your enemy is always my friend” prevailed. That is to say that since China and India, due to their complicated history and global ambitions, would forever be at daggers drawn, Pakistan and China would have no difficulty in being friends.

In this scenario, the natural reaction of America would have been to draw close to India as it had been in the recent past but seeing during the 4-day war between Pakistan and India that Pakistan was not a pushover and the fact that because of Pakistani military success against India had suddenly raised Pakistan’s status in the Middle East which led to the formation of an ostensible Military block with Saudi Arabia akin to NATO, particularly because Pakistan had a nuclear expertise which the Arabs needed badly to deal with their nemesis Israel. To add to this, the US found itself in direct confrontation with Iran in the South Asian region in its desire to appease Israel.

The question now is how the future will unfold in the world of diplomacy in view of these crucial changes that have occurred in the world in the wake of the US-Iran conflict, Pakistan-India conflict, and the inexplicable somnolence of Russia and the weakening of NATO.

There is no doubt that in the current state of affairs, the greatest sense of betrayal has been displayed by America to its European NATO partners due to its attempt to grab Greenland and also due to its laying a claim on Canada. NATO countries, which came to Ukraine’s assistance without batting an eyelid when the Russians attacked it and when America also joined the war with the greatest alacrity, have now begun to rethink the parameters of their association with the US.

It would seem that this development would result in Russia and China coming closer, and then, through the good offices of Pakistan, the Middle East, including Iran, coming closer to Russia and China. It would then invariably lead to the East African countries also falling into this new camp that is poised to emerge.

Europe’s dominance thus will at last be over after its erstwhile colonial supremacy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, while America is likely to find itself isolated because even Canada is no longer enamoured by America. Nevertheless, America is too powerful militarily, as well as economically and technologically, to be forced to take a back seat in world affairs. But if America continues to show its Trumpian belligerence and remains adamant in interfering in a mafia-like fashion in the countries in its region, there is every likelihood that even the countries in its backwater, the Latin American Countries too, start looking for succour towards the fast-emerging Russia, China, and South Asian countries axis.

But what about Pakistan? Pakistan under no circumstances should be enamoured by the false attempt at courting by America, hoping that it might lead Pakistan to become part of the Western political milieu. Pakistan must appreciate that it can never become like Türkiye, which can meet Europe on equal terms, nor, for that matter, can it be accepted at its face value by the Middle Eastern countries. Pakistan’s future lies firmly in South Asia, where it is ensconced.

To free its people from endemic poverty and ignorance, Pakistan must find a place, though now with added respect after its success in the four-day war with India, in its own region, that is South Asia. It should therefore try to revive SAARC and build it up on the lines of NATO and the European common market combined, much against natural resistance by India, which was responsible for its ostensible demise in the first place in the mid twentieth century, more so after the resurgence of an assertive Bangladesh and Nepal.

Indeed, it can be safely said that with the recent display of its proven military expertise and its close contacts with the Middle Eastern countries and also with all major powers of the future that is America, China and in time even Russia, Pakistan is rightly placed, provided it is properly governed politically, to emerge as a leading power in the future Russia, China, South Asia axis that is fast evolving and has been alluded to in the above paragraphs.

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