Trump is self-destructing at an unprecedented speed – as a pawn of the Israeli lobby and a guardian of the greatest swamp, he may not succeed in launching a “war of all against all.” Still, new and better forces must urgently occupy the vacuum that’s forming
Boris Kagarlitsky is a Russian Marxist sociologist, publicist, and political dissident with decades of experience analyzing global capitalism and post-Soviet social transformations. Born in 1958, Kagarlitsky has long been one of the most prominent voices of the critical left in Russia, frequently facing repression for his views. He was the editor of the website Rabkor.ru and director of the Institute for Globalization and Social Movements in Moscow. His works – including books such as The Long Retreat and From Empires to Imperialism – have been translated into numerous languages.
So when this same Boris Kagarlitsky, in his latest essay, speaks of a “war of all against all” as the logical outcome of Trump’s politics, he is actually bringing us back to the core of the crisis of the Western liberal order: the system is collapsing from within, and it turns out that the loudest profiteer of that collapse – Donald Trump – is simultaneously both the detonator and the symptom of that downfall. Kagarlitsky reminds us that the neoliberal bloc, since the 2008–2010 crisis, has spent years suffocating any viable alternative, eventually creating ideal conditions for a “clown” to enter the Oval Office. The irony is obvious: liberal elites, terrified of social reform, gave birth to their own gravedigger.
But this “clown” is far from without a plan. As Kagarlitsky points out, Trump’s populist alliance is made up of Midwestern American workers, technocratic billionaires, and various marginalized layers mobilized through xenophobia. While in opposition, this coalition is cemented by shared anger toward the establishment; once in power, their conflicting interests become obvious. That’s why Trump tries to push through the most anti-popular measures in the shortest possible time: attacks on immigrants, mass layoffs of bureaucrats, tariffs against both allies and enemies – all within the first few months of his second administration. While part of the public sees chaos, he sees a window of opportunity.
A key point in Kagarlitsky’s text is that there’s a clear political economy behind these maneuvers: a forced redistribution of global crisis costs in favor of the U.S. Trump is neither Roosevelt nor Keynes; he doesn’t intend to build a new social contract but rather to “export” the costs of the recession – as long as the dollar, paradoxically, remains the world’s key currency. If Washington truly reduces its trade deficit, the liquidity inflow to the global economy dries up, opening a crater that will first swallow the raw-material-exporting peripheries.
Kagarlitsky argues that Trump is dismantling hegemony not to create a fairer order, but to replace it with raw power. Once universal rules are replaced by bilateral “deals,” the strong divide the spoils, and the weak fight for bare survival. Russian dreamers may see multipolarity as a chance, but Kagarlitsky warns: multipolarity without institutions means jungle. This is also a warning for the European Union, whose past prosperity relied heavily on the American umbrella. Now, caught between Washington and Beijing, Brussels is for the first time truly experiencing what it means to be a middle power without its own military backbone.
Particularly intriguing is Kagarlitsky’s analysis of the failed “grand bargain” between Washington and Moscow. The plan, he claims, was simple: a quick end to the war in Ukraine under U.S. sponsorship, isolation of China, and exclusive access to Russian raw materials. But the Kremlin, divided internally, opted for a stalling tactic; the result is a stalemate that wastes Trump’s precious time and pushes Russia deeper into China’s embrace. This episode shows the limits of a bilateral approach: as soon as one side sees value in waiting, the entire arrangement collapses like dominoes.
Domestically, writes Kagarlitsky, cracks in Trumpism are already wide open. Conflict with Elon Musk, inflation eroding real wages, and waves of protests against the deportation of undocumented workers – all increasingly expose the fractures within America itself.
For the global left, the greatest lesson of this essay is the need for autonomy from the liberal center. Kagarlitsky reminds us that the Sanders movement and Europe’s progressive parties have, over the past decades, accepted a game in which defeat is the price of participation. As long as leftist projects are afraid to challenge ownership structures and the monopoly of financial capital, the populist right will monopolize rebellion. But if Trump’s “blitzkrieg” stalls, space opens up for a new, system-challenging left – one unburdened by moralistic political correctness or ties to salon liberals.
Ultimately, Kagarlitsky concludes, the real stake is not just the fate of the Trump administration, but whether the neoliberal model collapses into the hands of right-wing populism or whether the left finally offers a credible, egalitarian alternative. At a moment when the old elites are losing legitimacy, and Trump’s offensive is faltering due to its own contradictions, the space is open. But that space won’t remain empty: it could be filled by proto-fascist forces, corporate oligarchs, or other movements.
Perhaps, to paraphrase Churchill (whom Kagarlitsky also invokes), this is not the end – not even the beginning of the end – but it is the end of the beginning of an era. If the left learns that autonomy is not built in liberal institute hallways but on the ground of social struggles, Trump’s “war of all against all” could become ground zero not for a new hegemony, but for a new international order based on solidarity. And that, despite all the destruction it threatens, is the first real dose of optimism global politics has offered in decades.
Because we are witnessing, at the same time, the truly fascinating collapse of Trump’s “aura.” In just a few months, Trump has squandered the exceptional support he once had – even among younger generations, which is almost unheard of for a Republican! In February of this year, as many as 55% of young voters (aged 18–29) had a positive opinion of Trump. Today? That number has plummeted to 28%!
How is that possible? Actually, it’s quite understandable. Young people (and not only them) accepted a compromise – to give a chance to a representative of the decadent ultra-rich class simply because he offered something they wanted, like an end to wars. But in a few months, Trump betrayed them all (along with much of his hardcore MAGA base) – he hasn’t ended the war in Ukraine, continues to arm Kyiv, bombs Iran, enables Israel’s horrifying crimes in Gaza… And of course, there’s the Epstein scandal that keeps escalating and could politically sink him entirely.
Trump is unraveling so fast that many remain in shock – or not, judging by his rapidly declining support! And yes, indeed, with this shocking downfall of Trump, new political forces must emerge quickly – both due to evident necessity and the political vacuum already being felt. Some changes are already on the horizon – young Zohran Mamdani (33) might soon become mayor of New York, and he’s a politician who identifies as a democratic socialist (not a social democrat!).
But the window for political awakening won’t stay open for long. A fractured MAGA movement could quickly reorganize beyond the man they worshipped like a cult figure until just weeks ago. As noted, Trump has brought himself down, exposing himself as a pawn of the Israeli lobby, a swamp guardian, and a true representative of the deep state. Within the movement that idolized him until yesterday, there are influential figures who will now despise him with equal fervor. Is there a new leader among them? Maybe. And on the other side of the political compass? If there is, we don’t know their name yet. Although a positive change, unfortunately, it won’t be Mamdani, but someone bolder and more decisive – and the left still lacks the courage to bring such a leader to the surface.
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