Reference News Network, January 26 report: The U.S. magazine "Foreign Policy" website published an article titled "How to Lose the Art of Leadership" on January 23. The author is American columnist Fareed Zakaria. The full text is as follows:

"You can agree, and we will be most grateful. You can refuse, and we will remember." This was a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland, offering Europe options regarding the Greenland issue. I asked a senior European leader whether Trump's withdrawal of military threats relieved him, and he gave an affirmative answer. "But now we have seen his pattern of dealing with us," the leader said. "He has contempt for us. Even if this crisis is resolved, we will remember."

Trump's leadership style is essentially transactional. He first asks, "Who has more leverage?" If the answer is "myself," he will exert pressure in a big way, not only to win but also to dominate the situation, thereby obtaining the highest price. For him, diplomacy is the art of exploitation.

Trump is almost using America's strong power accumulated over generations as a form of entertainment. He imposed tariffs on Switzerland and significantly increased tax rates simply because he found the Swiss president "unpleasant." He took pleasure in describing how quickly the Swiss came knocking to beg him for mercy. This is less like executing a strategy and more like playing with power.

Europeans need not feel it is targeted at them. Trump treats anyone he considers weak in this manner. In the case of Ukraine, his anger often falls more on Ukraine, which refuses to accept a subordinate status, than on Russia. When dealing with countries such as Brazil or South Africa, he quickly criticizes policies that do not suit his preferences. But he likes the Gulf monarchies because they are wealthy, and this is a kind of strength he respects.

This is completely opposite to how the United States has historically exercised its leadership.

For nearly a century, the United States has been the dominant force in the world. However, all its leaders have understood that dominance cannot be maintained solely through coercion; it also requires legitimacy, reassurance, and voluntary cooperation. They deeply understand a basic truth: only by exercising power with restraint can power last longer; only by making allies feel dignity rather than fear can influence be stronger.

Using his own leverage to make the other party pay the highest cost, and viewing the other party's humiliation as his own success medal. This might achieve a one-time real estate deal, but it is certainly not the way to build a lasting foundation, let alone forge lasting global influence.

Since World War II, the United States has considered many places strategically important, including Western Europe, Norway and Finland, the Persian Gulf, etc. However, the United States did not believe that strategic importance meant having to conquer by force, but instead built security through an alliance system, access agreements, and forward deployment. Greenland fits this tradition. The United States already has a base there, and it could expand its influence through cooperation rather than coercion.

Whether Trump gets "that ice block" (he now calls it Greenland) or not, he has already done something more enduring than the news cycle: taught a lesson to his allies. These allies will still cooperate with Washington, after all, the U.S. strength is evident. But they will no longer trust the U.S. as much, and will more likely hedge their bets, quietly preparing for a future where the U.S. no longer maintains its leadership through collaboration, but instead sustains its hegemony by constantly reminding others, "you may be exploited."

As the aforementioned European leader said. He used the cold words that Trump thought were his exclusive property: "We will remember." (Translated by Zhu Li)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7599574561188889129/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.