Destruction or renewal? Trumpism and the future of global governance

Abstract This paper assesses the impact of Trumpism on global governance. Although Trump II poses an even greater challenge than Trump I , we argue that the continued decline of global governance and the resurgence of traditional (great) power politics that does not respect institutional constraints is not inevitable. Rather, the rise of Trumpism may also act as a catalyst for the innovative adaptation of global governance arrangements, enabling more effective responses not only to a rapidly evolving political landscape but also to emerging governance challenges. The impact of Trump II will ultimately depend on how major powers that support global governance institutions respond. Due to heightened geopolitical conflicts, defenders of those institutions may find themselves more constrained under Trump II than they were during his first term. While this raises the realistic prospect of further erosion of global governance, we argue that it remains possible for defenders to cope with the challenges of Trumpism, potentially even by spearheading an adaptive renewal of global governance arrangements.