Lonely Empire

Source: project-syndicate.org

TL;DR

• Mark Blyth argues the Trump administration's overt imperialism is dismantling the global order of shared norms and institutions.
• Examples include an American-Israeli war against Iran and turning Venezuela into a US satrapy run by White House allies.
• Nations must join this "law of the jungle" or leave the US isolated, gaining little from such reversion.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)[[2]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/mark-blyth)

The story at a glance

Mark Blyth, writing from Providence, critiques the Trump administration for rediscovering US imperialism through actions like war with Iran alongside Israel and controlling Venezuela as a client state. This shift prioritizes land grabs and spheres of influence over alliances and multilateral bodies. The piece appears amid reports of US interventions in Venezuela and threats over Greenland, reflecting a pattern Blyth sees as accelerating in early 2026.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)[[3]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03)

Key points

• Trump policies have unraveled the post-war global order faster than expected, forcing countries to follow the US into power politics or stand apart.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• An American-Israeli war against Iran is underway, exemplifying security through conquest rather than institutions.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• Venezuela operates as a satrapy, with its leadership dictated by deals with the White House; failure to comply risks removal, as with its former dictator.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• Plans include annexing Greenland and eliminating Chinese influence in Latin America to secure spheres backed by rival tech and energy systems.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• The world now follows the "law of the jungle," where the strong take from the weak, sidelining international law.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• Blyth warns the US has very little to gain from this overt imperialism, risking isolation as others refuse to join.[[2]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/mark-blyth)

Details and context

The article's core is Blyth's view that US actions signal a return to 19th-century-style empire-building, abandoning the norms that sustained American hegemony since 1945. Visible preview text stops short of full details, but related coverage notes US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and threats to Denmark over Greenland, tying into a "Monroe Doctrine 2.0" for the hemisphere.[[4]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/donald-trump-imperalism-without-alibis-by-ricardo-hausmann-2026-01)[[5]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-venezuela-new-era-of-imperialism-costs-for-everyone-by-joseph-e-stiglitz-2026-01)

This fits a wave of Project Syndicate pieces in early 2026 decrying Trump's "robber-baron" foreign policy, from Venezuela interventions to land grabs, as eroding alliances and inviting pushback.[[6]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-imperialist-land-grabs-undermine-us-economic-geopolitical-interests-by-james-c-obrien-2026-01)

Blyth, a political economist at Brown University, frames the risk as others forming counter-blocs, echoing Cold War containment but reversed against the US.

Key quotes

• "The Trump administration’s overt imperialism has unraveled the global order of shared norms and institutions faster than anyone expected." – Mark Blyth[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)
• "We now find ourselves at a juncture where everyone must either follow the US back into the jungle or refuse, leaving the America to its own devices." – Mark Blyth[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)

Why it matters

US imperialism risks fracturing the rules-based order, pushing rivals like China into tighter spheres and eroding soft power built over decades. For businesses and investors, it means unstable trade, rival tech stacks, and higher geopolitical risks in Latin America, the Arctic, and Middle East. Watch for alliance shifts or containment-like coalitions against the US, though outcomes depend on how allies like Europe respond.[[1]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/magazine/trump-administration-imperialism-may-invite-anti-american-containment-by-mark-blyth-2026-03?h=AES.TGIArUtzlZpq22KHjmtRCBeJVO95JgY8hHtRIqfS6v6s68VyMEq6OTm5WVhxh6yQ&)[[2]](https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/mark-blyth)