文章指出，美国在 2026 年初正经历一种自我削弱的过程，其速度和强度在 80 年的战后秩序中前所未见。特朗普围绕格陵兰、明尼阿波利斯和委内瑞拉的行动，被描述为系统性破坏美国全球信誉与联盟体系的连锁事件。格陵兰仅有约 57,000 人口，国土大部分覆盖着厚达一英里的冰层，但特朗普仍执意推动控制该地，这一举动与传统地缘政治、经济或安全逻辑严重不符。
民意数据清楚显示这种扩张主义缺乏国内支持。仅有 17% 的美国人支持吞并格陵兰，而只有 4% 赞成通过军事手段实现；作为对比，2022 年一项调查显示约 13% 的美国人相信“大脚怪”的存在。与此同时，特朗普的支持率持续下滑，共和党在众议院的多数优势极其微弱，执政基础并未出现任何可量化的上升趋势。
文章强调，美国过去 80 年的全球主导地位建立在六大支柱之上，包括移民开放、科研投入、自由贸易、法治、稳固盟友体系以及独立的货币政策。仅在 2026 年最初三周内，已有预测称合法移民可能下降多达一半，盟友准备对美国商品征收数十亿美元关税，北约关系遭到空前削弱。作者认为，这种在无外部强迫下主动瓦解自身制度优势的行为，在现代国家体系自 1648 年形成以来几乎找不到先例。
The article argues that in early 2026 the United States is undergoing a process of self-destruction unprecedented in the 80-year postwar order. Donald Trump’s actions in Greenland, Minneapolis, and Venezuela are framed as a cascading sequence that systematically erodes US global credibility and alliances. Greenland has a population of roughly 57,000 and is largely covered by ice up to a mile thick, yet Trump is pressing to control it, a move disconnected from conventional geopolitical, economic, or security logic.
Public opinion data show this expansionism lacks domestic support. Only 17 percent of Americans back annexing Greenland, and just 4 percent support doing so by military force; by comparison, a 2022 survey found about 13 percent of Americans believe in Bigfoot. At the same time, Trump’s approval ratings have steadily fallen, the Republican majority in the House is extremely narrow, and there is no measurable surge in political support accompanying these policies.
The article stresses that US global dominance over the past 80 years rested on six pillars: open immigration, investment in science, free trade, rule of law, strong alliances, and independent monetary policy. In just the first three weeks of 2026, estimates suggest legal immigration could fall by as much as half, allies are preparing billions of dollars in tariffs, and NATO ties are being gravely weakened. The author concludes that a superpower voluntarily dismantling its own institutional strengths, without external coercion, has virtually no parallel since the modern state system emerged in 1648.