AI created illustration after an idea by Jan Oberg – the EU flag in the right background
Introduction to TFF’s forthcoming four Idea Portfolios of Diplomatic and Nonviolent Resistance
By TFF’s Board & Founders
Pascal Lottaz, Biljana Vankovska, Annette Schiffmann, Christina Spannar & Jan Oberg
January 19, 2026
“America, you are too arrogant.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Over the course of Trump’s first term and now a year into his second, the world has witnessed a consistent pattern of actions that challenge the basic long-standing norms of international cooperation, weaken multilateral institutions, and ignore the global norms and legal frameworks established by the UN Charter.
During these years, we have witnessed military operations in Iran, Syria and Ukraine without UN authorisation; the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani; repeated strikes across the Middle East; and the launch of tariff wars against allies and competitors alike. We have seen a renewed emphasis on nuclearism and zero interest in arms control and disarmament negotiations. Pentagon is now The Department of War.
We have seen travel bans targeting entire nationalities; visa denials for diplomats meant to attend UN meetings; and threats to withdraw from NATO while demanding that allies spend 5% of their GDP on the military without any shared threat analysis. We have also witnessed systematically confrontational policies and orchestrated and well-financed media campaigns directed against China and other actors.
U.S. policies have involved unwavering support for Israel’s devastating genocidal military campaign in Gaza; recognition of Juan Guaidó as “president” of Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro with spouse as well as taking control over Venezuelan state assets; hard pressure on Ukraine to de facto let go of its natural resources; withdrawal from the JCPOA with Iran; and public statements about acquiring territories such as Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and Greenland — the latter being an integral part of Denmark, a loyal U.S. ally since 1948.
The rhetoric surrounding these actions has been confrontational, personalised as arrogant or vulgar, and consistently dismissive of international law. Domestically, Trump has dismissed officials, centralised executive power, and pursued a “law and order” agenda that cannot help but raise profound concerns about democratic norms within the United States. It is not only warfare on most of the world; it is also a domestic war.
The speed, surprise, and scale of these actions — combined with the near absence of meaningful international countermeasures — is likely to create the dangerous illusion within the Trump Regime circles: that such behaviour carries no cost, that it can continue indefinitely, and that the world will simply adjust to whatever it does next. Most likely, Trump thinks to himself – I can obviously get away with doing what I want – and I will.
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