Germany has alleged that the US, under the leadership of President Donald John Trump, is dismantling the post-Second World War international order. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently condemned the US military operation in Venezuela, apart from expressing serious concern over President Trump’s plan to annex (or invade) Greenland.

The President of one of the most influential countries in the European Union (EU) cited the Venezuela incident as an example of destroying the world order, stressing: “Today, the aim is to prevent the world from turning into a den of thieves, where the most unscrupulous take what they want. Where regions and entire countries are treated as property, rather than major powers. Where even medium-sized states, such as ours, are being pushed to the margins of history, and where smaller and weaker states are left completely unprotected.“

The German President stated: “But there is also the fact that our most important partner, the United States, has broken with the values that it helped to establish and, above all, has played a decisive role in shaping over decades. In my opinion, we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.” Steinmeier further said: “Both disrespect and erosion are well advanced. I believe that, and I want to emphasise it a little.“

On January 8, 2026, President Trump, in an interview with the New York Times, claimed that he, as Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, was constrained only by his “own morality”, brushing aside international law and other checks on his ability to use military might to strike, invade or coerce other nations. When asked if there were any limits to his power (citing the examples of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro through a military operation), the US President insisted: “Yes, there is one thing. My own principles. My own mind. That is the only thing that can stop me. I do not need international law.” He told the New York Times: “It depends on what your definition of international law is. I do not need international law.”

In that interview, President Trump also significantly conveyed a message about seizing Greenland, a territory controlled by Denmark, stressing: “Greenland must become a part of the US. Ownership is very important because that is what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you cannot do with, you are talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cannot get from just signing a document.” However, he made no comments on his top priority: whether to occupy Greenland or to keep NATO intact.

At the same time, President Trump reminded that Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is afraid of the US, but not of Europe. Hence, Europe needs to “get its act together” with the US.

Meanwhile, President Steinmeier has described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a turning point, saying that the US’ recent behaviour indicates another major historical shift in that same sequence. “Then there is the collapse of values by our most important partner, the US, which helped build this world order,” he added.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das