for the world, donald trump <u+2019>s victory portends a profoundly new geopolitical climate. from berlin to beijing, leaders are watching whether mr. trump will follow through on populist and protectionist pledges that could curb america<u+2019>s global engagement and capsize deeply established policies on trade, defense and immigration. if he does, america<u+2019>s foreign policy would likely shift to some degree away from traditional allies, toward a longtime nemesis, russia. mr. trump<u+2019>s antagonism toward longstanding international norms threatens to upend alliances forged by u.s. president barack obama to confront a host of global problems including climate change, the syria conflict and territorial disputes in the south china sea. on wednesday, old american allies said they were ready to work with mr. trump, but signaled a potential for conflict. french president fran<u+00e7>ois hollande said he would engage with mr. trump but warned that some of his campaign positions <u+201c>must be contrasted with the values and interests that we share with the united states.<u+201d> german chancellor angela merkel said she was ready to work closely with mr. trump, but on the basis of a <u+201c>respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent from origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political views.<u+201d> in asia, mr. trump<u+2019>s anti-free-trade stance is raising fears about the possibility of a world-changing trade war with china, the second-biggest economy. the republican leader<u+2019>s mercurial style and isolationist rhetoric also may give beijing <u+201c>strategic opportunities for china to exploit,<u+201d> said shi yinhong, a professor of international relations at renmin university in beijing. japan and south korea are urgently seeking clarity from mr. trump on whether he intends to follow through on pledges to withdraw tens of thousands of u.s. troops from their countries unless they boost payments. at a special national security meeting on wednesday, south korean president park geun-hye said the country needed to quickly build cooperative ties with the new u.s. administration. many view the vote<u+2019>s outcome with apprehension. in germany, norbert r<u+00f6>ttgen, an influential lawmaker with chancellor angela merkel<u+2019>s christian democrats, warned that the u.s. could lose its role as the linchpin of the western world order. <u+201c>we must wait and see how he acts in office,<u+201d> mr. r<u+00f6>ttgen said. <u+201c>i think he doesn<u+2019>t know yet himself how he will act.<u+201d> french foreign minister jean-marc ayrault on wednesday said europe <u+201c>must not flinch<u+201d> in the face mr. trump<u+2019>s election and those of other populist forces surging on both sides of the atlantic. <u+201c>we must try to understand what this new president will do,<u+201d> mr. ayrault said on french radio, <u+201c>because what he has said until now is worrying.<u+201d> in latin america, mexico is steeling itself for a president who has vowed to scrap trade agreements, build a wall and send millions of undocumented immigrants home. cuba also faces new concerns, with mr. trump pledging to undo president obama<u+2019>s historic re-establishment of ties between washington and havana, which awakened new hopes in the country for foreign investment. not everyone is worried. right-wing politicians across europe see mr. trump<u+2019>s victory as feeding an international wave of antiestablishment sentiment. future electoral victories by the european right, they say, would help establish a new trans-atlantic order based on opposition to trade deals, immigration and further political integration of the european union. mr. trump<u+2019>s presidency will <u+201c>allow french diplomacy to express itself in a more balanced world, less dominated by american hegemony,<u+201d> said florian philippot, a leading figure in the national front, france<u+2019>s main right-wing party. dutch anti-islam politician geert wilders wrote on his official twitter page after mr. trump won florida and utah: <u+201c>the people are taking their country back. so will we.<u+201d> british backers of a hard break from the eu have been cheered by mr. trump<u+2019>s embrace of their cause. mr. obama made clear before the brexit vote in june that the u.k. would go to the <u+201c>back of the queue<u+201d> on forging a new trade arrangement with the u.s. mr. trump has said a deal with the u.k. would be among his top priorities. <u+2018> the tone of china-u.s. economic relations will shift from cooperation and interdependence toward competition and conflict <u+2019> for months, diplomats at north atlantic treaty organization headquarters in brussels have been nervously watching mr. trump. jens stoltenberg, the nato secretary-general, waded into the fray three times to push back against mr. trump<u+2019>s critical comments about the alliance. on wednesday, mr. stoltenberg congratulated mr. trump, saying <u+201c>u.s. leadership is as important as ever.<u+201d> after mr. trump won the election, the u.s. ambassador to nato, douglas lute, on wednesday played down any risks. he said the organization is already taking steps that have addressed mr. trump<u+2019>s criticism, by raising european military spending and appointing a new intelligence chief. in the mideast, mr. trump is seen as an advocate of wielding america<u+2019>s military might, despite his vows to disengage from the region. his vows to defeat islamic state by working with regional allies has rebels in syria hopeful that they will arm them. but as a candidate he also promised to improve relations with russia, which is fighting the syrian opposition. many officials in the region worry any u.s. disengagement there will translate into gains for russia in places like syria and turkey. russian president vladimir putin congratulated mr. trump, saying he hoped they could end a crisis in u.s.-russian relations and work together on global security and international issues, the kremlin said wednesday. mr. trump<u+2019>s victory raises some hopes in india of more u.s. help to buttress new delhi<u+2019>s efforts to pressure pakistan, after mr. trump recently said the u.s. would stand <u+201c>shoulder to shoulder<u+201d> with india to fight <u+201c>radical islamic terrorism.<u+201d> but indian policy makers will also be seeking assurances from the trump administration in light of his criticism of immigration, outsourcing and trade, all crucial pillars of ties between washington and new delhi. in africa, some analysts said mr. trump could make dramatic changes to washington<u+2019>s regional engagement, deploying a more muscular troop presence in the fight against terror, while pulling back from aid commitments. <u+2014>alastair gale in seoul, eleanor warnock in tokyo, niharika mandhana in new delhi, james hookway in bangkok, julian e. barnes in brussels, maria abi-habib in beirut and matina stevis in nairobi contributed to this article. write to anton troianovski at anton.troianovski@wsj.com , matthew dalton at matthew.dalton@wsj.com and chun han wong at chunhan.wong@wsj.com
trump victory brings uncertainty abroad - wsj
anton troianovski matthew dalton chun han wong