Trump's America: Great power suicide in slow motion

Margaret MacMillan, a professor of international history at Oxford University, argues that the Trump administration's policies are eroding America's capacity for global understanding and diplomacy. This, she warns, significantly raises the risk of global instability.

"The U.S. will no longer be able to use diplomacy as it did before: to build relationships, make mutually beneficial agreements, and prevent and end wars," MacMillan told Reuters.

William J. Burns, former director of the CIA under President Biden, expressed even graver concerns. He stated that the "demolition of institutions, the dismantling of established career paths in public service, the open disregard for the importance of allied networks, and the obsession with hard power – all of this together is great power suicide in slow motion," Burns told Foreign Affairs.

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The U.S. will no longer be able to use diplomacy as it did before: to build relationships, make mutually beneficial agreements, and prevent and end wars.

The article highlights that Trump has targeted the State Department and the intelligence community, viewing them as centers of the "deep state" that oppose his "Make America Great Again" agenda. Consequently, these institutions have faced purges, downsizing, and pressure to align with MAGA policies.

The consequences have been severe. During Trump's first term, the State Department lost about 10% of its staff. In the first 18 months of his second term, 20% of personnel had already departed, according to the American Foreign Service Association. Diplomats reported to Reuters that foreign policy guidelines are virtually nonexistent, forcing them to monitor Trump's Truth Social platform for any new policy signals. In late December 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recalled 30 career diplomats without explanation, likely to make space for politically appointed emissaries with little to no diplomatic experience. Currently, 109 of 195 ambassadorial posts worldwide remain vacant, managed by charge d'affaires.

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The demolition of institutions, the dismantling of established career paths in public service, the open disregard for the importance of allied networks, and the obsession with hard power – all of this together is great power suicide in slow motion.