# How can the U.S. regain International goodwill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 14, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946 "2007-01-14T16:21:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/141 "2026-04-02T22:19:04Z")
Also, the current administration is blatantly ignoring key parts of the constitution and the legislature… just lets them. I don’t know why anyone would expect ratified treaties to magically have stronger protections. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/142 "2026-04-03T03:05:13Z")
Perhaps to ask the prior question: Does the US want to regain international goodwill? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/143 "2026-04-03T03:34:50Z")
Much of the nation does, it’s just useful for things like trade and alliances. Trump and company no; they _want_ to be feared and hated. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/144 "2026-04-03T08:58:44Z")
People are missing the most obvious way that the US regains international goodwill… which is the sweeping rise of far right parties across the Western hemisphere forming a trans-atlantic coalition. Reform wins the next election in the UK AfD takes over Germany Marine Le Pen is the next President of France Meloni continues to consolidate power in Italy Vox rides a wave of discontent in Spain Orban continues in Hungary Ukraine is sacrificed in order to form durable co-operation agreements with Putin India continues under Modi to be broadly non-aligned and Xi is happy in China to sit back and watch everyone else making mistakes. Canada, Australia & New Zealand still manage to be barely center left but are distinctly junior partners who must bow to the whims of the majority regarding foreign policy. ICE tactics are exported across the Western world as there’s a mass expulsion of non-white Immigrants and militarized border are erected as all refugee treaties are torn up. The UN is officially abandoned or made a ceremonial institution only. Transgender and LGBT rights are rapidly overturned, with US laws used as blueprints. None of the countries trust each other but each are content leaving the others alone as long as there’s broad political alignment. Youth in each country is brainwashed into far right politics using manosphere/tradwife/RETVRN/tech bro influencers, all the major tech platforms are on board so there’s no room for dissenting voices across the broader internet. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/145 "2026-04-03T09:11:24Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > People are missing the most obvious way that the US regains international goodwill… which is the sweeping rise of far right parties across the Western hemisphere forming a trans-atlantic coalition. I doubt that would work, for the simple reason far right wingers _don’t_ have good will towards each other. They hate everyone else, look at outsiders as enemies or prey, and are completely untrustworthy. Such a scenario would most likely led to multiple wars, eventually. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/146 "2026-04-03T09:31:35Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I am probably repeating what others have said, but how can you put any credence in any treaty, alliance or agreement with the US, when you know that in four years a new president can tear it all up? But what’s unique about the US? It seems like you could just as easily ask: how can you put any credence in any treaty/alliance/agreement with _any_ country, as there’s no It Can’t Happen Here reason they can’t likewise tear it all up? Isn’t _that_ the lesson to be learned from all of this? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/147 "2026-04-03T09:47:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I doubt that would work, for the simple reason far right wingers _don’t_ have good will towards each other. But they also have a strong innate sense of hierarchy so there’s some degree of deferment to the US as the “big dog” in the relationship. I have no doubt, for example, that if Reform wins in the UK, their foreign policy will be a firm tonguing up the US asscrack as long as MAGA is in power. France and Germany are far too proud to let it go that far but I suspect they’ll also be pragmatists and come to some kind of arrangement with the US that as long as their interests aren’t messed with, they’ll let the US do what it wants. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > But what’s unique about the US? It seems like you could just as easily ask: how can you put any credence in any treaty/alliance/agreement with _any_ country, as there’s no It Can’t Happen Here reason they can’t likewise tear it all up? Isn’t _that_ the lesson to be learned from all of this? Because trust is built up over decades and lost in moments. There _are_ countries where alliances are not considered valuable because there’s been a consistent history of going back on them. The US was historically not one of those countries by demonstrating a consistent willingness to abide by self imposed constraints within agreements, even if the agreement was signed by a previous president. It did so because the trust credit allowed it far more future soft power leverage. Think about it in terms of companies, there are some which you inherently believe what they say and others which you treat as shady and worth double checking on. A large part of Warren Buffet’s later career was leveraging his reputation to invest in companies at favorable terms when they needed to borrow his credibility because theirs was shot. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/148 "2026-04-03T10:15:19Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > It seems like you could just as easily ask: how can you put any credence in any treaty/alliance/agreement with _any_ country, as there’s no It Can’t Happen Here reason they can’t likewise tear it all up? Isn’t _that_ the lesson to be learned from all of this? As said, it’s a matter of history. Tearing up deals means nobody makes them with you, so most nations avoid doing that. America built up a legacy that it would keep its side of a deal; that is now destroyed, for decades at the best. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/149 "2026-04-03T10:24:28Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > The US was historically not one of those countries by demonstrating a consistent willingness to abide by self imposed constraints within agreements, even if the agreement was signed by a previous president. I take your point, but I still can’t help but feel like other folks can’t help but extrapolate from it; I can’t really picture anyone saying, with a straight face, _“well, you’re acting just like the US did, so we have no reason to think you’ll act like the US now does”_ — or to pitch themselves by saying _“hey, we act like the US did, so don’t expect us to act like the US does.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/150 "2026-04-21T11:13:52Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The judiciary is spineless and gets ignored by the executive. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Nonsense, the courts have ruled against trump and MAGA many times. And has been ignored by the executive many times with little consequence. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > But they also have a strong innate sense of hierarchy so there’s some degree of deferment to the US as the “big dog” in the relationship. You misspelled “Russia”. Russia is the “big dog” of far-right authoritarianism, to which even the far-right in the US kowtow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946.md?page=7)