EDITORIAL: Donald Trump’s new world order will bring testing times
As we enter 2026 the old world order on which we rested our plans and expectations is changing at a rapid pace.
As ever, much of the change is driven by Donald Trump. The US President sees the world in black and white. There’s good and bad. In the Trump world, good is easy to define. His view is good. The rest is bad.
Undoubtedly falling into the bad category is ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in a brazen mission at the weekend.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Under Mr Maduro, Venezuela had endured years of repression, human rights abuses, corruption, and the crushing of basic democratic freedoms.
Mr Trump was proud to claim the credit for the US raid, and on Monday he said he would “fix” a “broken country”. How this moment plays out in the short term is anything but clear.
On Sunday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “we urge all parties to support dialogue and diplomacy in order to secure regional stability and prevent escalation”.
“Australia has long held concerns about the situation in Venezuela, including the need to respect democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”
Albanese will face some testing decisions now the Trump order has replaced the old world order
On Monday Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ tone was a little more pointed. “We are supporters of international law, and it’s for the Americans to make clear the legal basis of the steps taken over the weekend,” he said.
Mr Trump has already cranked up the threats beyond Venezuela. “Columbia is very sick too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. He’s not going to be doing it very long,“ he said on Monday.
Mr Trump has also made threatening noises about Cuba, Greenland, Iran and Mexico. It is clear there are ramifications of the US action that extend far beyond Central and South America.
There is a big question about how Mr Trump’s daring play will be seen by leaders such as Xi Jinping in China and Vladimir Putin in Russia.
It is safe to say that Mr Putin will be ready to claim some kind of equivalence between Mr Trump’s removal of Maduro and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And would Mr Xi see it as acceptable now to use the Trump playbook when it comes to his desire to take over Taiwan?
Or would they, along with rogue nations like North Korea and Iran, see Mr Trump’s move as proof that he is so unpredictable that he is likely to do anything, and they need to proceed with extreme caution?
It is unlikely that Mr Trump will see his job as done.
The Albanese Government may face some testing decisions on foreign policy now the Trump order has replaced the old world order.
Mr Trump does not look kindly upon Western allies who he perceives as letting him down or not pulling their weight. And the bottom line is we continue to need US military support — real and implied — for our own security.
