A slippery slide of America into authoritarianism is now fully entrenched. Beyond being empowered to dismantle civil liberties and political rights, electoral integrity, and erode the checks and balances of legislative governance within its borders, America has declared war on its allies.

President Donald Trump’s continued assertion that Canada should become the 51st state, the administration’s promotion of the annexation of Greenland, the suggestion that America will retake control of the Panama Canal, or double down on plans for the US to “own” Gaza are signals of America’s threat to global security. America’s coercion of its allies through the imposition of tariffs, as with the violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), exclusion of the European Union during peace negotiations addressing the Ukraine-Russia war, or the treatment of President Vlodomir Zelenskiy during his White House visit are illustrations of the MAGA policy America has undertaken, and which will only worsen. As the International Institute for International Development puts it, uncertainty, complexity, volatility, and ambiguity will continue.

MAGA is more than Donald Trump; it is a populist movement supported by a majority of the country, and now includes the majority of the Republican Party who has enable his second term. This very point illustrates that America’s commitment to international trade agreements, defence alliances, or the rule of law can no longer be taken for granted.

The outlook for resistance grows remote given that authoritarian populists have already assumed the power to veto reform. And encroachments on foreign sovereignty grows stronger as disciples of the MAGA movement are emboldened to proselytize beyond America’s borders. Steve Bannon, former strategist for Donald Trump, has conducted talks with Germany’s far-right AfD, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, and Viktor Orbán’s Christian nationalist Fidesz party in Hungary towards advancing a MAGA like far-right movement across Europe. Tucker Carlson, formerly of Fox News, has become a prominent voice for the far right in Hungary. And Elon Musk’s message to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is “Let’s make Germany great again.” MAGA’s anti-immigrant message to Germans is that “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”

This type of proselytisation signals a new front in MAGA’s entrepreneurialism. Just weeks into UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration Musk branded Starmer “two-tier keir” and a “rape genocide apologist.” Musk labelled Britain a “tyrannical police state” claiming that the UK was going “full Stalin.”

American imperialism is undertaking an autocratic ideal with callous disregard for international norms, not averse to undermining national sovereignty, tearing up international treaties, or undermining allies and other democracies. America’s attack on Canada, it’s closest and largest trade partner, more than undermines reliance on an America-led order, it undermines the G-7, G-20, the World Bank, and Bretton Woods. It also diverts those already inclined towards China and India, particularly in the Global South, towards alternative institutions such as BRICS, the New Development Bank (NDB), the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Democratic societies are confronted with an existential threat and must resist and respond. The MAGA movement is dangerously infectious to democracies around the world, igniting as a symbol for more rebellious factions of democratic governments against formerly liberal progressive politics. Elements of MAGA, like nationalism, are either being adopted or copied by popular movements across the globe. Recently, former British prime minister Liz Truss reflected in a message to a right-wing conference that her country was “failing” and needed a Donald Trump-style “MAGA” movement to save it.  Others have been willing to embolden Trump, as with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration, during his visit to the White House, to Make India Great Again.

America’s tariffs on its allies will have devastating consequences for North America and beyond. American bullying must be confronted quickly and resolutely. The Canada-Australia partnership to develop radar systems to detect threats from Russia and China is one such relationship that may develop further based on a new shared commitment to diversify defensive arrangements. As according to Prime Minister Mark Carney:“The United States’ priorities, once closely aligned with our own, are shifting” is a potent declaration of that commitment. How effectively middle powers coalesce to confront America’s MAGA imperialism will be a signal to other wolf states of the willingness of the coalition of the democratic fraternity to confine authoritarian expansion.

Anil Anand is an independent Canadian policy researcher and author with extensive experience in law enforcement, security, and social justice.

This review is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution.