The Postwar Global Order Is Ending as US Alliances Crumble and New Powers Emerge
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on Germany, Japan and the end of the postwar order: as US alliances crumble, a new world emerges | Editorial | The Guardian." April 24, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Trump has broken America's old alliances so badly that Germany and Japan are building up their own militaries for the first time since World War II. This marks the end of the world order that has existed since 1945, with new partnerships forming to deal with threats from Russia and China.
Conclusion
A new world order is emerging as Germany and Japan shed postwar restraints in response to authoritarian threats and American unpredictability under Trump
Premises
- Trump has actively undermined longstanding US alliances and demolished the postwar global order through hostile rhetoric and policy threats
- Germany has published its first military strategy since WWII and is pursuing vast rearmament, moving beyond traditional NATO constraints
- Japan has relaxed export rules for lethal weapons and is doubling arms spending, abandoning its postwar pacifist stance
- Both countries face growing authoritarian threats from Russia, China, and North Korea that require new security arrangements
- US unpredictability has forced allies to seek alternative partnerships and strengthen bilateral relationships independent of American leadership
- The strategic environment has fundamentally shifted as WWII fades from living memory and new conflicts loom
Assumptions
- The postwar order established after WWII was beneficial and stabilizing
- Trump's actions represent a fundamental departure from previous US foreign policy rather than temporary policy adjustments
- Germany and Japan's military expansion represents a permanent shift rather than temporary responses
- Authoritarian threats from Russia, China, and North Korea are genuine and growing
- US alliance commitments under Trump are genuinely unreliable