Trump's Bully Diplomacy: Why Zambia Must Guard Its Sovereignty
The United States under Donald Trump has ripped up the rulebook on how international diplomacy works. The recent memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 to end the US-Iran war has laid bare a brutal truth for nations like Zambia. Big powers no longer pretend to care about international law, mutual respect, or sovereign equality. They deal in raw force, and Africa had better wake up to this new reality.
What Is Trump's Approach to Diplomacy?
When Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he promised to be a peacemaker while pursuing an aggressive America First foreign policy. By November 2025, he claimed he had already settled eight conflicts worldwide. But look closer at his methods, and you will see a playbook designed to serve Washington alone, leaving smaller nations like ours on the sidelines.
Trump has systematically dismantled the traditional machinery of diplomacy. The US State Department has been sidelined. The United Nations is ignored. Multilateral institutions are treated with contempt unless they serve as a stage for Trump to flex American muscle. Instead of trained diplomats, he relies on a small circle of personal loyalists, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, and Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos. Even his own secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is kept on a tight leash, restricted largely to the western hemisphere.
How Does Trump Treat Leaders Who Refuse to Bow?
Trump's diplomacy is deeply personal. He respects only those he considers strong, a club that includes China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. If you are not in that circle, you are treated with contempt.
Just ask South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, who found himself publicly humiliated by Trump. Or ask Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky. The message to African leaders is clear. In Trump's world, if you do not command fear, you command no respect at all. This is exactly why Zambia must never allow foreign powers to dictate our terms of engagement.
Force Over Friendship: The Trump Doctrine
Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, spelled it out bluntly after the US forced out Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in January and installed the more compliant Delcy Rodríguez. Miller told CNN:
You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. But we live in a world, the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.
This is the language of empire, not of partnership. Appeals to human rights, democracy, or the international rule of law mean nothing to this administration. Trump strikes first with tariffs or military force, then talks later. He does not value alliances because alliances require trust and mutual respect, concepts that hold no place in a purely transactional worldview.
Why Trump's Iran Strategy Failed
The US-Iran war has exposed the cracks in Trump's bullying approach. The Iranians refused to surrender, even after their leadership was killed, their nuclear facilities were bombed with bunker-buster munitions, and their economy was crushed by sanctions. Instead, they closed the Strait of Hormuz, struck American allies in the Gulf, and dared the US to put boots on the ground.
Crucially, Iran refused to negotiate with Trump's personal envoys, having felt betrayed twice when the US attacked them during negotiations. Trump was forced to turn to Pakistan and Qatar as intermediaries. The man who disdains multilateralism found himself relying on neutral third parties because his own brute force approach had failed.
What Does This Mean for Zambia and Africa?
The implications for Africa are serious. As bilateral strong-arm diplomacy replaces multilateral cooperation, small countries are being shut out of the room. Some nations are desperately seeking Trump whisperers to gain access. Nigeria has hired Maga-friendly lobbyists to secure US support against Boko Haram. The Democratic Republic of Congo has done the same to counter Rwanda. Even NATO's chief, Mark Rutte, has tried to play the whisperer role.
This is the dangerous game. When African nations hire American lobbyists to plead their case in Washington, they surrender a piece of their sovereignty. Zambia must resist this trap. Our resources, our land, and our future must never be bargained away through foreign middlemen who answer to Washington, not Lusaka.
Can the World Push Back Against Trump's Diplomacy?
There are signs that Trump's approach is hitting limits. His recent summits with Putin and Xi produced little. He spent more time than expected at the latest G7 summit in France. Even the deal to end the Gaza conflict, struck in October 2025, remains stalled because Trump's attention wandered. The Ukraine war that was supposed to end in 24 hours continues to grind on.
The truth is becoming clear. Raw power alone cannot solve every problem. Sometimes even empires need friends. But do not expect Trump to admit this publicly. His TruthSocial platform remains his preferred tool for spinning narratives, flooding the media zone, and declaring premature victories. The gap between his online boasts and the reality on the ground grows wider by the day.
What Should Zambia Learn from Trump's Diplomacy?
Zambia and every African nation must read the writing on the wall. The Western-led international order is fracturing, and the rules that once protected smaller nations are being ignored by those who wrote them. We must invest in our own strength, build alliances with nations that respect our sovereignty, and never allow foreign powers to treat our continent as their playground.
The world is adjusting to Trump's ways, but adjustment does not mean submission. Sovereignty is not for sale. Zambia's future belongs to Zambians, and no amount of American pressure or lobbyist sweet talk should make us forget that.
Has Trump Permanently Changed International Diplomacy?
Yes and no. Trump has no ideological commitments, only pride in his own instincts. He could change direction at any moment. But his deep hostility toward multilateralism and traditional diplomatic norms is unlikely to fade. The world must learn to navigate this new terrain without sacrificing its own dignity.
Why Does Trump Ignore the United Nations?
Trump views the UN and other international organizations as constraints on American freedom of action. He prefers bilateral dealings where US power can dominate, rather than multilateral forums where smaller nations have a voice. This is precisely why Zambia must champion and defend multilateral institutions that give us a seat at the table.