America First Means America Alone

The United States might be feared, sometimes resented and occasionally even opposed. But it was still broadly trusted, and the system the United States built after 1945 remained the central organising framework of global politics and commerce. That assumption is not as strong as it once looked.

A recent global perception survey covering 68 countries found the United States recording a net favourability score of minus sixteen. Russia, despite invading Ukraine, scored minus eleven and China registered plus seven. The architect of the liberal international order is now viewed less favourably than two of its principal challengers.

Numbers alone never tell the whole story, but they do suggest something deeper is shifting. And perhaps more importantly, the shift is beginning to carry commercial consequences.