Ceasefire or not, the world has come to know President Trump as a rogue president, with his Hitlerian statements about letting Iranian civilization perish and his threats that amount to war crimes. The consequences of this go beyond the ceasefire.
Trump has abandoned the classical role of a superpower, namely contributing to a stable world by upholding international law and adhering to basic norms of conduct. After all, only a superpower can impose the rules of the game and create order in the anarchy of international relations. Only a superpower can compel other countries to cooperate in the interest of some degree of global stability.
What happens when leaders abandon norms can be seen on a smaller scale in the Netherlands: Wilders rose to prominence through his attacks on Islam, the media, the judiciary, and parliament. Those who do so contribute to polarization and the coarsening of society, ultimately destroy the rule of law, and give others a free hand to do the same. This is how anarchy emerges and civilization disappears from a society.
As in the Netherlands, this process has been underway internationally for some time. It accelerated when President Putin launched the attack on Ukraine in 2022. Prime Minister Netanyahu then responded disproportionately to the horrific Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. And now Trump against Iran.
In all three cases, the military interventions spiraled into an inferno in which all rules were abandoned. The laws of war, which provide for a strict distinction between civilian and military targets, were ignored. In rhetoric, the opponent was dehumanized, and violence was glorified in the name of God. Human lives were reduced to statistics.
When major countries like America and Russia—and a small country like Israel, which emerged from the Holocaust and therefore carries the moral obligation of “never again”—throw off all restraints, the entire world is thrown off course.
Crucially, if America is no longer the benign hegemon that provides “public goods” such as peace and stability, only anarchy remains. Other countries will follow Trump’s example. The result is that, thanks to Trump, the world is fragmenting at high speed, and countries will act solely in their own interest.
Moreover, his aggression provokes predictable reactions. Iran, Russia, India, and China see America as an adversary against which cooperation is necessary.
Even for Europe, America has ceased to be an ally. A problem for Europe is that we are still seen as America’s allies and therefore as parties that must be reckoned with. This requires European leaders to take a firmer stance against a rogue American president and to articulate a clear moral message.
But the most important voice in this debate was Pope Leo XIV, who repeatedly stated that Jesus does not stand with those who start wars and then behave reprehensibly. This fits within the tradition of his predecessor Leo XIII, who in the nineteenth century developed a moral framework for war, peace, and justice. That pope believed that war could sometimes be justified, but that excesses required a moral response. That is no different today. Ceasefire or not.
Source: Trouw, Rob de Wijk, 8 april 2026
Experts
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