International Relations expert and former Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs, Professor Vladimir Antwi Danso, has criticised what he describes as a flawed approach adopted by US President Donald Trump in his bid to restore America’s global dominance.
Professor Antwi Danso said the aggressive manner in which the United States has projected its power and democratic values internationally is increasingly working against its own interests.
According to him, America’s long-standing reliance on diplomatic pressure, alliance cohesion and the extensive use of sanctions to subdue other nations has triggered a backlash that is now manifesting on several fronts.
He explained that countries such as China and Russia, which were once marginalised within the global system, are reassessing their roles and influence on the world stage. This shift, he noted, has become a major source of frustration for Trump, particularly as global economic dynamics begin to change.
Professor Antwi Danso also pointed to the weakening dominance of the US dollar, observing that an increasing number of countries are exploring alternatives to dollar-based trade.
He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s recent moves away from exclusive dollar transactions, despite its long-standing 1974 agreement with the United States that established the petrodollar system.
“The forceful nature of America’s thrust into the world with their democracy and with their domineering character is balancing back at them in all facets because they have used cohesion, diplomatic cohesion and all forms of sanctions, etcetera, to cow down the whole world,” he said.
“It looks as though as China and Russia got out of the cold, they are now beginning to reassess themselves, and this reassessment is irritating to Trump, especially when the dominant dollar is in recess now and people are now going to seriously trade outside the dollar, including Saudi Arabia, which signed an agreement with the US in 1974 for the petrodollar.”
Professor Antwi Danso argued that these developments are partly driving Trump’s determination to reassert American dominance, but warned that the strategy being pursued is deeply flawed.
“So these are some of the issues that are irking or itching Trump to want to bring America back to dominance, but the methodology is wrong—extremely wrong,” he added.
