Trump's anti-globalization measures: A shift from multilateralism to America First
Kumar Shivam | Feb 07, 2025, 23:44 IST
( Image credit : AP )
U.S. President Donald Trump’s "America First" policy challenges globalization by withdrawing from international agreements, imposing sanctions, and weakening multilateral institutions. His stance has impacted the ICC, WHO, WTO, and climate accords, prioritizing American sovereignty over global cooperation. Critics warn of weakened global governance, while supporters argue international bodies unfairly disadvantage the U.S.
In his pursuit of the "America First" agenda, U.S. President Donald Trump actively worked to dismantle globalization, which had defined the world order in the post-Cold War era. At the very least, he sought to remove the United States from its long-standing leadership role in global governance. Under U.S. leadership, the world had established global institutions for trade, security, governance, and social action. However, Trump believed these institutions had failed to achieve their intended goals and disproportionately benefited other nations at America's expense.
One of Trump's latest anti-globalization measures involved imposing sanctions on individuals involved in International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of U.S. citizens and allies such as Israel. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war. Similarly, in 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the deportation of Ukrainian children. In response, Russia banned ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and placed him, along with two ICC judges, on its wanted list.
The ICC is a permanent judicial body tasked with prosecuting individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression committed within member states or by their nationals.
Several world leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other EU officials, criticized Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the ICC. Scholz stated, "Sanctions are the wrong tool. They jeopardize an institution meant to ensure that dictators cannot persecute people and start wars." However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a staunch Trump ally, suggested that these sanctions indicated it might be time to withdraw from the ICC.
During Trump's first term, his administration sanctioned former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court’s investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Notably, the U.S., China, Russia, and Israel are not ICC members.
The ICC sanctions follow other significant moves by Trump against multilateral institutions. He withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Accord, citing concerns about American sovereignty and economic interests. His trade policies also reflected skepticism toward multilateral frameworks, favoring unilateral tariffs and protectionist measures.
Trump’s stance on multilateralism was evident when he withdrew the U.S. from WHO on his first day in office. This was his second such move—his administration previously notified the UN in July 2020 of plans to leave the organization amid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden reversed this decision upon taking office in January 2021. However, Trump continued to criticize WHO, alleging corruption and undue influence from China and corporate interests.
His climate policies further underscored his disdain for multilateralism. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, arguing that the agreement imposed unfair restrictions on American industry while allowing China to pollute without consequence. This decision placed the U.S. among a handful of nations—alongside Iran, Libya, and Yemen—outside the 2015 agreement, which aimed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Trump also reversed U.S. participation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) global corporate tax deal. The agreement sought to establish a minimum 15% tax on multinational corporations' profits across 140 countries. In a memo, Trump argued that the deal threatened U.S. economic sovereignty and competitiveness. He directed the U.S. Treasury to explore "protective measures" against foreign tax policies that disproportionately impacted American companies.
His tariff policies further weakened the World Trade Organization (WTO). During his first term (2017-2021), Trump paralyzed the WTO’s top adjudication court by blocking judge appointments—a situation that persists today. He also imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and has since threatened a 10% tariff on all imports. WTO observers anticipate further trade disputes if Trump continues in office, with his former trade representative Robert Lighthizer labeling WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as "China’s ally in Geneva" due to her support for developing countries.
Trump’s "America First" policy is widely seen as signaling the decline of the U.S.-led multilateral order. His preference for bilateral engagements over multilateral diplomacy underscores his focus on advancing American economic and security interests above all else.
One of Trump's latest anti-globalization measures involved imposing sanctions on individuals involved in International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of U.S. citizens and allies such as Israel. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war. Similarly, in 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the deportation of Ukrainian children. In response, Russia banned ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and placed him, along with two ICC judges, on its wanted list.
The ICC is a permanent judicial body tasked with prosecuting individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression committed within member states or by their nationals.
Several world leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other EU officials, criticized Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the ICC. Scholz stated, "Sanctions are the wrong tool. They jeopardize an institution meant to ensure that dictators cannot persecute people and start wars." However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a staunch Trump ally, suggested that these sanctions indicated it might be time to withdraw from the ICC.
During Trump's first term, his administration sanctioned former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court’s investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Notably, the U.S., China, Russia, and Israel are not ICC members.
The ICC sanctions follow other significant moves by Trump against multilateral institutions. He withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Accord, citing concerns about American sovereignty and economic interests. His trade policies also reflected skepticism toward multilateral frameworks, favoring unilateral tariffs and protectionist measures.
Trump’s stance on multilateralism was evident when he withdrew the U.S. from WHO on his first day in office. This was his second such move—his administration previously notified the UN in July 2020 of plans to leave the organization amid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden reversed this decision upon taking office in January 2021. However, Trump continued to criticize WHO, alleging corruption and undue influence from China and corporate interests.
His climate policies further underscored his disdain for multilateralism. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, arguing that the agreement imposed unfair restrictions on American industry while allowing China to pollute without consequence. This decision placed the U.S. among a handful of nations—alongside Iran, Libya, and Yemen—outside the 2015 agreement, which aimed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Trump also reversed U.S. participation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) global corporate tax deal. The agreement sought to establish a minimum 15% tax on multinational corporations' profits across 140 countries. In a memo, Trump argued that the deal threatened U.S. economic sovereignty and competitiveness. He directed the U.S. Treasury to explore "protective measures" against foreign tax policies that disproportionately impacted American companies.
His tariff policies further weakened the World Trade Organization (WTO). During his first term (2017-2021), Trump paralyzed the WTO’s top adjudication court by blocking judge appointments—a situation that persists today. He also imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and has since threatened a 10% tariff on all imports. WTO observers anticipate further trade disputes if Trump continues in office, with his former trade representative Robert Lighthizer labeling WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as "China’s ally in Geneva" due to her support for developing countries.
Trump’s "America First" policy is widely seen as signaling the decline of the U.S.-led multilateral order. His preference for bilateral engagements over multilateral diplomacy underscores his focus on advancing American economic and security interests above all else.