The Great Power Reflexes of the United States under Donald Trump’s Second Term

After the Cold War, the U.S. emerged as the ‘remaining great power’, and further consolidated its position after the September 11 attacks. However, disputed American policies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine led to a decline in recognition of its leading status. The U.S. exhibited turbulent great power reflexes in these crises, resulting in relative failures to uphold the expected responsibilities of a great power to give a central direction to the trajectory of the international society: preserving a general balance of power, avoidance and control of crises, and limitation of wars. With the beginning of President Trump’s second term in January 2025, there have been indications of a recalibration in U.S. foreign policy, marked by a shift in rhetoric to recover these great power reflexes. Within this framework, this study evaluates the policies of the U.S. particularly towards two key cases: the Russian war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and relevant developments in the Middle East. For the research involved, the study employs content analysis of official White House documents, including ‘Briefings & Statements’ and related ‘Remarks’ from 2025, in order to answer “To what extent does the U.S. by leveraging its military, economic and political power tend to lead and give a central direction to the trajectory of the international events as a reflex of its great power status?”. The findings suggest that the Trump administration in its second term has inclined to align with traditional great power responsibilities - seeking for a general balance of power, limitation of wars, and avoidance and control of crises. The reluctance about the “boots on the ground” policy, and the attempt to transfer a fair level of responsibility to European powers in Ukraine in line with the “America First” policies, have complicated the interactions but not entirely undermined these great power reflexes.