Fareed Zakaria: The U.S. Is Behaving Like a Rogue Superpower

Why It Matters

The United States’ turn toward unilateral, imperial‑style conduct threatens the legitimacy of the post‑war rules‑based order, potentially destabilizing alliances and increasing geopolitical risk for businesses worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Zakaria likens U.S. actions to 19th‑century imperialism today
• He argues Trump rejects the post‑World War II rule‑based order
• U.S. sanctions on Iran are portrayed as unilateral, self‑serving moves
• The shift erodes America’s credibility as architect of global governance
• Such behavior risks escalating geopolitical tensions and weakening alliances

Summary

Fareed Zakaria argues that the United States has abandoned the rule‑based international order it helped construct after World War II, behaving instead like a 19th‑century European imperialist. He frames President Trump’s unilateral actions—particularly the aggressive sanctions campaign against Iran—as a deliberate rejection of multilateral norms, emphasizing that the U.S. is acting without broader legal justification.

Zakaria points out that the current U.S. approach is “arbitrary, unilateral, self‑interested, rapacious,” contrasting sharply with the post‑war consensus that positioned America as the system’s guarantor. By invoking the language of imperialism, he suggests that Washington is now pursuing self‑serving geopolitical goals rather than upholding the collective security framework it once championed.

Key excerpts include Zakaria’s claim, “I have absolutely no desire to appear to be behaving in a lawful, legitimate, rule‑based way,” and his observation that the United States is “behaving like a rogue superpower breaking the rules‑based system that it had put into place.” He underscores that this shift undermines the moral authority the U.S. once wielded.

The implications are profound: eroding U.S. credibility, straining alliances, and increasing the likelihood of geopolitical friction as other powers respond to perceived American overreach. Policymakers and investors must watch how this departure from multilateralism reshapes diplomatic relations and global market stability.

Original Description

The U.S. is behaving like a rogue superpower in the Iran war—and Donald Trump seems to be making a point of demonstrating that he is rejecting rules-based order, the journalist Fareed Zakaria tells David Frum.