Donald Trump’s election victory has ushered in a turning point for the United States and the world. That seems to be the almost unanimous opinion of U.S. experts. “The Cold War Era Has Ended And We Are Not Going Back,” said the New York Times on 16 November 2024. While this is true, the full meaning of this turning point and why ‘there is no turning back’ has not yet sunk in. For this turning point does not revolve around the U.S. alone, nor will it be determined by Mr. Trump’s election win, as stunning as that was for some. What is not yet fully appreciated is that America, by itself, will no longer be the sweeping tidal power that shaped history.

Besides China, the countries of the Global South, including Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Chile, Peru, and others, will play a vital role in shaping the world that emerges and in shaping the next iteration of American power. No matter what the pundits exclaim, America’s power to single-handedly shape the world’s geopolitics which has defined the era since the end of the Second World War, is over. Kaput!

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.