With Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, 2025 promised to be fraught with difficulties from the outset. On all fronts, the American president sought to make a big impact, acting alone, hastily and forcefully. In the United States, he signed hundreds of executive orders against immigrants, the opposition, freedom of expression and democracy. Internationally, his trade war and tariffs have shaken markets, and his aggressive diplomatic approach has reshuffled the cards of the world order.

In Gaza, the US president secured a precarious truce with Netanyahu and Hamas, without any realistic plan for long-term peace. The same strategy has not been successful in Ukraine, where negotiations are still stalling. The Trump method, and the reactionary internationalism that flourishes in its wake, has put force back at the centre of international relations, at the expense of solidarity, dialogue and multilateral institutions.

What can we hope for in 2026, after all this? There are glimmers of hope nonetheless: Donald Trump is losing voters, Gen Z has flexed its muscles against autocrats around the world, the environmental cause is making tentative progress… Now we just need to convert the try!