(ECNS) - A poll from Politico and Public First, based on a survey of 11,000 people across the U.S., as well as the UK, France, Germany, and Canada, which traditionally are Washington's closest allies, suggests that U.S. "default" leadership is coming to an end. The U.S. is increasingly viewed not as a steady guardian but as an unpredictable partner that is damaging its own future.
The most striking finding in the report is a widening "reliability gap" regarding American leadership. In traditional ally nations like Germany and Canada, trust in Washington's consistency has dropped to new lows. This shift is driven by a clear logical sequence: deep internal political divisions within the U.S. have turned its foreign policy into a series of sudden, erratic changes.
A new administration can completely cancel the promises and treaties of the previous one. To an ally in Europe or North America, this makes the U.S. feel like a risky wildcard.
Much of this shift is being blamed on the return of "America First" policies. By threatening massive tariffs, such as 100% tax on goods imposed on Canada, the U.S. is seen as attacking its own allies to get quick, short-term wins. This "transactional" approach makes allies feel like they are being treated as enemies.
The report suggests that the U.S. is engaging in a form of "geopolitical self-sabotage." By making its leadership conditional and expensive, it is forcing its allies to look for other countries to partner with instead.
When the U.S. demands that its allies "decouple" from China, those allies often feel that the U.S. is being selfish and unrealistic.
The Politico report is not alone in these findings. Other major studies, including data from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and Gallup, show a similar trend. In many European nations, there is a growing desire for "strategic autonomy"—the idea that Europe must learn to stand on its own feet without the U.S. cushion.
Polls even show that if a major conflict were to break out between the U.S. and China, a majority of Europeans would now prefer to stay neutral rather than siding with the U.S.They feel that the U.S. has lost its consistent sense of purpose. Instead of leading a global team, Washington is retreating into isolationism, leaving a "leadership vacuum" that other countries are beginning to fill.
America is no longer the automatic choice because it has become its own worst enemy. By prioritizing internal politics over international stability, it has moved from being a reliable "leader" to a "transactional competitor."
In this fast-evolving world, the U.S. is now merely one of several players, and a particularly volatile one to bet on.
(By Zhang Jiahao)
京公网安备 11010202009201号