This study examines the Trump administration's foreign policy as a complex strategy
that intertwines political ambitions with commercial interests, resulting in global
conflicts of interest. The authors employ a case study approach, policy analysis, and a
review of existing literature to explore the impact of Trump’s new orientations on
reconfiguring international geopolitics. The analysis focuses on global issues the]
Transfer of Palestinians from Gaza Strip, Russian-Ukrainian War and the Precious
Metals Deal, The Rupture in The Transatlantic Alliance, and the Trade War with
China[.
The findings indicate that Trump’s policies, rooted in the pursuit of "Make America
Great Again" “MAGA” from a businessman’s perspective, are pushing the
geopolitical landscape to move at a rapid pace; it is likely to damage the US
relationships with its traditional allies while fostering closer cooperation between
Moscow and Beijing in countering American dominance. This approach, driven
predominantly by economic interests, poses a threat to international agreements and
destabilizes the global order—a system that the US played a pivotal role in shaping in
the aftermath of World War II and consolidating following the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
References
ABS News Service. (2023, November 30). Henry Kissinger, the architect of China shift to US from Russia is no more. World Trade Scanner. https://worldtradescanner.com/Henry%20Kissinger,%20The%20Architect%20of%20China%20shift%20to%20US%20from%20Russia%20is%20no%20more.htm
AFP. (2025, January 13). China-Russia trade hit record high in 2024. The Moscow Times. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/13/china-russia-trade-hit-record-high-in-2024-a87590
Atlantic Council. (2025, February 5). Experts react: Is the US really going to ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip? https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/experts-react/is-the-us-really-going-to-take-over-the-gaza-strip/
Baker, P., & Shear, M. D. (2025, February 5). ‘Riviera’ in Gaza and aid agency assault capture Trump’s vision of U.S. power. The New York Times. (Republished by DNYUZ). https://dnyuz.com/2025/02/05/riviera-in-gaza-and-aid-agency-assault-capture-trumps-vision-of-u-s-power/
Bhaduri, A. (2025, February 14). Trump's Gaza 'Riviera' plan will show how united the Arabs really are. NDTV. https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/trumps-gaza-riviera-plan-will-show-how-united-arab-world-really-is-7707875
Biscop, S. (2025, February 20). Trump’s Europe policy: No longer different from Russia and China? Egmont Institute. https://www.egmontinstitute.be/trumps-europe-policy-no-longer-different-from-russia-and-china/
Bland, A. (2025, February 6). The outlandish plan to turn Gaza into a ‘riviera of the Middle East’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/06/thursday-briefing-first-edition-gaza-riviera-middle-east-donald-trump
Brinza, A., Bērziņa-Čerenkova, U. A., Le Corre, P., Seaman, J., Turcsányi, R., & Vladisavljev, S. (2024). EU-China relations: De-risking or de-coupling −the future of the EU strategy towards China. European Parliament. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2024/754446/EXPO_STU(2024)754446_EN.pdf
Burrows, E. (2025, February 17). US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-us-zelenskyy-agreement-trump-minerals-4d5eefcc44c9f17f330db98d81720b29
China Briefing Team. (2025, February 26). EU-China relations after the 2024 European elections: A timeline. China Briefing. https://www.china-briefing.com/news/eu-china-relations-after-the-2024-european-elections-a-timeline/
China Daily. (2025, February 24). China's business community opposes the US's overstretching national security concept, hindering economic, and trade exchanges. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202502/24/WS67bbe72ba310c240449d6dff.html
Collinson, S. (2025, February 5). Trump’s Gaza ‘Riviera’ plan is the most outlandish idea in the history of US Middle East peace-making. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/politics/trump-gaza-takeover-analysis/index.html
Dale, D. (2025, February 19). Fact check: Trump falsely claims Zelensky has a 4% approval rating. It’s above 50%. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/politics/fact-check-trump-falsely-claims-zelensky-has-a-4-approval-rating-its-above-50/index.html
Downing, J. (2023, April 15). ‘Who do I call when I want to talk to Europe?’ – Henry Kissinger’s ‘quote’ illustrates EU foreign policy problems. Irish Independent. https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/who-do-i-call-when-i-want-to-talk-to-europe-henry-kissingers-quote-illustrates-eu-foreign-policy-problems/42433502.html
Durkee, A. (2025, February 16). Zelensky says he won’t accept any Russia deal Trump makes without Ukraine. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/02/16/zelensky-says-he-wont-accept-any-russia-deal-trump-makes-without-ukraine/
Euractiv. (2025, January 8). Trump says NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defence. https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/trump-says-nato-members-should-spend-5-of-gdp-on-defence/
European Parliament. (2025, February 13). EU-US trade: How tariffs could impact Europe. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20250210STO26801/eu-us-trade-how-tariffs-could-impact-europe
Evans-Pritchard, A. (2025, February 17). Revealed: Trump’s confidential plan to put Ukraine in a stranglehold. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/17/revealed-trump-confidential-plan-ukraine-stranglehold/
Frachon, A. (2025, February 13). Trump's announcement of a 'Riviera' in Gaza would be laughable if the situation wasn't so grave. Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/02/06/trump-s-announcement-of-a-riviera-in-gaza-would-be-laughable-if-the-situation-wasn-t-so-grave_6737866_23.html
Fuhrmann, J. C. (2025, February 18). China at the Munich Security Conference. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. https://www.kas.de/en/country-reports/detail/-/content/china-bei-der-muenchner-sicherheitskonferenz
Global Witness. (2025, January 21). Trump 2.0 – a threat to democracy, people, and the planet. https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/trump-20-threat-to-democracy-people-and-planet/
Golod, V. (2025, February 21). What Trump’s tilt toward Russia means for China. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2025/02/what-trumps-tilt-toward-russia-means-for-china/
Hansler, J., & Shelton, S. (2025, February 22). The US proposes its own UN resolution marking anniversary of the war in Ukraine after refusing to back the European statement. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/22/politics/ukraine-war-us-proposes-un-resolution/index.html
HT News Desk. (2025, February 21). ‘World War III not far away but…’: US President Donald Trump. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/world-war-iii-not-far-away-but-says-us-president-donald-trump-101740102352718.html
Huaxia. (2025, February 24). China's business community opposes the U.S. overstretching national security concept, hindering economic, and trade exchanges. Xinhua. https://english.news.cn/20250224/2574f20e71fa4dd7b8671d91fc16f43c/c.html
Iqbal, N., da Silva, J., & Race, M. (2025, February 3). EU tariffs 'pretty soon' but UK can be worked out - Trump. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4zgx808g7o
Kayali, L., Barigazzi, J., Detsch, J., & Posaner, J. (2025, February 13). Trump’s uphill battle to make NATO allies hit his mega defense spending target. Politico. https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-nato-allies-defense-spending/
Kiel Institute for the World Economy. (2025, January 14). Ukraine support after 3 years of war: Aid flows remain low but steady - Shift towards weapons procurement. https://www.ifw-kiel.de/publications/news/ukraine-support-after-3-years-of-war-aid-flows-remain-low-but-steady-shift-towards-weapons-procurement/
Korolev, A. (2025, February 19). Trump wants to do a deal for Ukraine’s critical minerals. Will Zelensky give him what he wants – or will Putin? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/trump-wants-to-do-a-deal-for-ukraines-critical-minerals-will-zelensky-give-him-what-he-wants-or-will-putin-250064
Kottasová, I. (2025, February 19). Trump falsely calls Zelensky ‘a dictator’ after Ukraine’s leader accuses him of living in ‘disinformation space’. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/europe/zelensky-trump-reaction-intl/index.html
Krauss, J. (2025, January 26). Trump wants Egypt and Jordan to let in Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Here’s why the idea is rejected. Associated Press. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-wants-egypt-and-jordan-to-let-in-palestinian-refugees-from-gaza-heres-why-the-idea-is-rejected
Kruse, M. (2016, July/August). The executive Mr. Trump. Politico Magazine. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/2016-donald-trump-boss-employer-company-hired-fired-employees-workers-management-business-214020/
Landay, J., Balmforth, T., & Peleschuk, D. (2025, February 16). Zelenskiy says draft US minerals deal 'does not protect' Ukraine. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/zelenskiy-says-draft-us-minerals-deal-not-ready-yet-it-does-not-protect-ukraine-2025-02-15/
Levin, B. (2024, March 20). Jared Kushner says Israel should “finish the job” in Gaza so it can focus on building valuable “waterfront property”. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/jared-kushner-israel-gaza-waterfront-property
Liboreiro, J. (2025, February 21). Worst-case scenario: Why Trump's push for negotiations has put Europe on total edge. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02/21/worst-case-scenario-why-trumps-push-for-negotiations-has-put-europe-on-total-edge
Maddox, B. (2025, February 14). Trump’s ‘electroshock’ on Ukraine ends the debate: Europe cannot rely on the US for its security. Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/02/trumps-electroshock-ukraine-ends-debate-europe-cannot-rely-us-its-security
Magid, J. (2025, February 5). Jared Kushner behind Trump’s plan to take over Gaza. The Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-jared-kushner-behind-trumps-plan-to-take-over-gaza/
Miller, C., Russell, A., & Rachman, G. (2025, February 25). Ukraine reaches minerals deal with United States. Financial Times. Republished by Financial Post. https://financialpost.com/financial-times/ukraine-agrees-minerals-deal-us
Moshirzadeh, H., & Afrasiabi, S. (2021). Trump’s cognition and his unorthodox foreign policy approach. Journal of the World Sociopolitical Studies, 5(3), 1-27. https://wsps.ut.ac.ir/article_86722.html
Muggah, R., & Rohozinski, R. (2025). The mineral wars - How Ukraine’s critical minerals will fuel future geopolitical rivalries. Horizons: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development, 29. https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-winter-2025-issue-no-29/the-mineral-wars
Murphy, M., & Horton, J. (2025, February 19). Fact-checking Trump's claims about war in Ukraine. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9814k2jlxko
Murray, W. (2025, February 17). Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy waves away first US bid for critical minerals. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/17/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-waves-away-first-us-bid-for-critical- minerals
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Lord Palmerston. In Oxford Reference. Retrieved July 11, 2025, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191826719.001.0001/q-oro-ed4-00008130
Pelzman, J. (2024, July 21). An economic plan for rebuilding Gaza: A BOT approach. Center for European and Eurasian Studies Middle East North Africa. https://ceesmena.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/An-Economic-Plan-for-Rebuilding-Gaza__A-BOT-Approach-_FINAL_July-21_2024.pdf
Pike, L. (2025, February 20). Trump’s Europe shock creates an opening for China. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/20/trump-europe-china-tariffs-defense-spending/
Preussen, W. (2022, October 11). Viktor Orbán says Donald Trump’s the one to end war in Ukraine. Politico. https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-donald-trump-end-war-ukraine-russia/
Qian, N. (2025, February 17). Trump’s trade war is about more than trade. Kellogg Insight. https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/trumps-trade-war-china
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (2025, February 22). UN General Assembly weighs competing resolutions marking the third anniversary of war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-general-assembly-resolution/33323854.html
Ravid, B., & Caputo, M. (2025, February 20). Scoop: U.S. and Ukraine discuss "improved" minerals deal after Trump raged at Zelensky. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/20/us-ukraine-rare-earth-minerals-agreement
Reuters. (2025, February 19). Zelenskiy, on US minerals deal, says: I can't sell Ukraine. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-us-minerals-deal-says-i-cant-sell-ukraine-2025-02-19/
Ross, D., & Stroul, D. (2025, February 7). How Trump, Arab leaders, and Israel can close the gaps on Gaza. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/how-trump-arab-leaders-and-israel-can-close-gaps-gaza
Rubio, M. (2025, February 21). UN must act to bring peace to Europe [Press statement]. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/the-un-must-act-to-bring-peace-to-europe/
Sabbagh, D., & Courea, E. (2025, February 13). US should not have made concessions to Russia over Ukraine, says German minister. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/13/us-should-not-have-made-concessions-to-russia-over-ukraine-german-minister-says
Shanghai Municipal People's Government. (2024, December 6). China-Russia east-route gas pipeline now fully operational. https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20241206/625271036d414f33946427023d6d12cb.html
Skiba, K-M. (2025, February 22). European leaders to visit Trump following realigned US commitments to Ukraine. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02/22/european-leaders-to-visit-trump-following-realigned-us-commitments-to-ukraine
Stern, D. L., & Francis, E. (2025, February 20). Amid a war of words, Trump's envoy meets Ukraine’s Zelensky. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/20/ukraine-russia-trump-kellogg-europe/
Suissa, D. (2022, August 11). The Gaza Riviera, part 2. Jewish Journal. https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/editors-note/350661/the-gaza-riviera-part-2/
The Moscow Times. (2024, September 10). Russia, China kick off ‘Ocean 2024’ joint naval exercises. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/09/10/russia-china-kick-off-ocean-2024-joint-naval-exercises-a86318
Times of India. (2025, February 21). 'World War III is not so far away': Donald Trump claims his leadership would prevent it. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/world-war-iii-is-not-so-far-away-donald-trump-claims-his-leadership-would-prevent-it/articleshow/118434742.cms
Trump, D. J. [@realDonaldTrump]. (2025, February 19). [Untitled on aid and war]. Truth Social. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114031332924234939
Trump, D. J., & Schwartz, T. (1987). Trump: The art of the deal. Ballantine Books.
Turker, H. (2025, February 23). Trump’s Russia strategy: Breaking the Sino-Russian alliance or strengthening it? Geopolitical Monitor. https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/trumps-russia-strategy-breaking-the-sino-russian-alliance-or-strengthening-it/
U.S. Department of Defense. (2025, February 12). Opening remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at Ukraine Defense Contact Group (as delivered). https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/4064113/opening-remarks-by-secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-at-ukraine-defense-contact/
Viser, P., Alemany, M., & Stanley-Becker, I. (2025, February 7). Riviera of the Middle East: How Trump sees Gaza as a real estate deal. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/07/trump-gaza-redevelopment/
Watling, T. (2025, February 28). What are Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, where are they and what will the deal with Trump involve? The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-minerals-deal-trump-rare-earth-b2702039.html
White House. (2025a, January 20). Reevaluating and realigning United States foreign aid. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/
White House. (2025b, January 23). Remarks by President Trump at the World Economic Forum. https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/2025/01/remarks-by-president-trump-at-the-world-economic-forum/
White House. (2025c, February 1). Fact sheet: President Donald J. Trump imposes tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/
White House. (2025d, February 21). Fact sheet: President Donald J. Trump encourages foreign investment while protecting national security. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-encourages-foreign-investment-while-protecting-national-security/
Wintour, P. (2025, February 25). Starmer must take the baton from Macron in an effort to sway Trump on Ukraine. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/starmer-must-pick-a-way-through-trumps-chaos-to-find-some-coherence