The world is definitely chaotic right now and we have much to be concerned about. First, there is the economy – prices are up, wages aren’t always keeping pace, and a lot of folk are anxious about jobs, especially with AI and automation shaking things up. Then we have climate change; the weather is getting wilder, and it is hard to ignore the floods, fires, and heatwaves popping up more often. Geopolitics is not helping either – Gaza, Ukraine, and tensions between big powers and all the uncertainty that comes with them is keeping people on edge. And we have social issues – polarisation is through the roof, trust in institutions is tanking, and everyone’s screaming past each other online.
Inequality hits hard too. It feels as if the decks are stacked – whether it is wealth piling up at the top while others scrape by, or the sense that opportunities are not as even as they’re made out to be. You see it in the data: income gaps widening, social mobility stalling out. Then there’s the cultural side – everyone has a megaphone now, but it feels as though some voices still get drowned out or dismissed.
On the other side of the world American politics has turned into a full-on circus, and without question it has people stressed about where things are headed. The constant bickering, the grandstanding, and the way it’s all amplified online makes it feel like no one is actually steering the ship – just yelling about who should. It is exhausting, and no wonder folks are worried about what is next when it seems more about winning than fixing anything.
Unfortunately, America’s political chaos doesn’t just stay within its borders – it’s like a reality show the whole world is forced to watch, and everyone is anxious about the plot twists. When the U.S. sneezes, the globe catches a cold, and right now it is looking like a fever. And then there’s the ‘cherry’ on top: More countries are eyeballing nukes and that ramps up the tension everywhere. Being not just about who has the weapons, but how jittery it makes everyone else. You have nations thinking, “If they’ve got ‘em, maybe we need ‘em too,” and suddenly we have a domino effect of paranoia. Between that and the U.S. stage show, we are all holding our breath.
It is as though the world has suddenly decided to play a high-stakes game of nuclear tag right as Trump stepped back into the White House on January 20. Since then, the chatter about countries going nuclear has definitely spiked. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, for instance, started talking seriously about nuclear options, pointing to a “profound change” in U.S. geopolitics. South Korea has been rumbling about it too, with both major parties debating their own arsenal to counter North Korea. We can be excused for thinking that Trump’s “America First” vibe – pulling back on alliances and security guarantees – is nudging these nations to rethink their playbooks.
But let’s unpack this a bit. It is not like these countries flipped a switch and built nukes overnight since Trump took office. The groundwork has been simmering for years – Iran has been inching closer since Trump ditched the nuclear deal in 2018, and North Korea has been flexing its capabilities since way before that. What is new is the urgency. With the U.S. looking less reliable under Trump 2.0, some nations are openly mulling their own deterrents. Add in Trump’s mixed signals – saying he wants denuclearisation talks with Russia and China, yet casting doubt on NATO and allies – and it’s no shock people are jittery. It’s only March, 2025, we’re still early in this term, but the trend has grown legs.
Trump’s approach to America’s allies since taking office again has definitely stirred the pot. He continues to flex that hardline “America First” stance that has left some traditional partners feeling more like punching bags than teammates. Take Canada – Trump slapped tariffs on them and called Justin Trudeau a “governor” instead of a sovereign leader, which is a jab that has Canadians bristling. Then there is Denmark, where he has pushed hard over Greenland, and Panama, where he has even floated taking back the canal, a move that has got folks there fuming over national pride. Allies such as Colombia have felt the heat too, with threats over immigration and aid.
It is not just the actions – it is the tone. Trump’s rhetoric often paints allies as freeloaders, like when he told NATO countries to “pay up or you’re on your own.” That rattled leaders in Europe; they are not sure the U.S. has their back anymore. The intimidation vibe – such as threatening to pull out of NATO or penalise countries that don’t toe the line – has allies second-guessing decades of trust. They are used to the U.S. being a steady hand, not a wild card.
On the flip side, Trump’s camp would say this is just tough love to get allies to step up, not coddle them. But it is a gamble that has the world watching, and it is no surprise they are uneasy about it.
Australia has been on the receiving end of Trump’s acidic tongue, and we are ticked off. Since he took office in January, Trump has been poking at the Australia-U.S. relationship in ways that feel more like a slap than a handshake. He has griped about the trade balance, calling Australia out for taking advantage of the U.S. with exports such as beef and wine, even though the free trade agreement has been a two-way street since 2005. Then there is the AUKUS deal – Trump’s grumbled that the U.S. is footing too much of the bill for those nuclear subs, hinting Australia is not pulling its weight, which stings given how much Canberra’s leaned into that pact to counter China.
The tone is what has really riled people up, though. He makes offhand digs at Australia that have landed like a brick as Aussies see themselves as loyal mates, especially after decades of fighting alongside the U.S. in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The disrespect cuts deeper when you factor in Trump’s threats to rethink alliances if countries don’t “pay their fair share,” leaving us wondering where Australia stands in his worldview. To me it is simple: under Trump the U.S. has turned its back on a partnership that has been rock-solid since World War II.
Trump has taken a sledgehammer to a friendship that has been built over decades. Aussies are fed up with being treated like a junior partner instead of the staunch ally we’ve proven to be. The trade jabs, the AUKUS grumbling, and dismissive comments about us – a country that has punched above our weight globally and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. through thick and thin.
This disrespect has come at the wrong time. We have China breathing down our neck in the Pacific, and now the U.S. – the big mate we have relied on – feels as though it is wobbling under Trump’s “pay up or piss off” attitude. That’d piss off a lot of us, especially when we have skin in the game like we have with AUKUS and the Quad.
It is a big shift – some people might be gobsmacked by what may very well turn into a full-on rejection of AUKUS. The deal has been a sore point since Trump started griping about it after taking office in January. A lot of us are already lukewarm to it – polls back in 2023 showed only about half the public supported it, and a more recent poll showed that half of us want it canned simply because of Trump. And of course, we are plenty worried about the cost (hundreds of billions over decades) and the idea of nuclear subs stirring up trouble with China. Now, with Trump questioning the U.S. commitment and framing Australia as a freeloader, it is like he has poured fuel on those doubts.
We are over it – why tie ourselves to a deal when the bloke on the other end acts like he is doing us a favour yet he might yank it away? Plus, there’s that lingering frustration with the disrespect – Australia’s not keen on being a pawn in Trump’s game when it is already juggling its own security headaches in the region.
The good news is that there are only 1,327 days until the next presidential election. (Sorry about that.)
Until then we’ll sweat away while we keep busy fighting off climate change, nuclear missiles, and chaos of the Trump variety. And before you know it, there will only be 1,326 days to go.
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Tipping points, Michael, and by that I don’t mean a conversation on how much to slip the waiter after a good meal out.
Regrettable as it is, it seems that for many, the reality is somewhat akin to sleepwalking into the future. We’ve been warned about global warming and its consequences for many years, but humanity, collectively, has done far too little far too late; ineffectual politicians of all stripes, relentlessly determined continuation at all levels within the fossil fuel industries… and here we are, the full disaster bearing down on sentient life in all its forms on this little blue speck in the heavens.
And, as you note, as if this weren’t bad enough, the added burden of ‘taken for granted’ systems of governance fracturing in real time; the doors unlocked and the lunatics overrunning the system.
Buckle up, one and all…. we’re in for a wild ride.
So many aspects to this. But we, in our wonderful individualistic Western culture do not make the connections. Yes, the climate crisis, the nuclear threat, growing inequality. We are amazed that youth problems are getting worse – violent actions, an increase in mental health problems among young adults and teenagers. Sure, we need more mental health services directed towards youth. But we are immersed in our consumer culture. Individualised therapy to treat the troubled young is good, but so inadequate, if we are not tackling those background anxieties that hang over all of us, and especially over the young.