When Power Replaces Trust

About this episode

This episode explores the erosion of trust in international treaties as the U.S. behaves like an unreliable partner.

When the United States openly pressured Denmark over Greenland, the immediate dispute faded fast. The damage to trust did not. This episode looks beyond Greenland to a bigger question: what happens when the world’s most powerful country starts behaving like an unreliable partner? International law, trade agreements, and security alliances only work if states believe others will still play by the rules when it no longer suits them. That belief is now under strain. With Gregory Shaffer, Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of International Law at Georgetown, we talk about power, coercion, and the quiet erosion of trust in international treaties. Is the U.S. still seen as a credible partner? Are rules giving way to pressure politics? And are we already sliding into a global order where raw power matters more than promises? This is not just a diplomatic story. It may be a systemic risk.

People in this episode

Host: Severin de Wit

Guest: Gregory Shaffer

Topics covered

• international relations
• trust
• power dynamics
• coercion
• diplomacy
• global order

Keywords

• trust
• international law
• trade agreements
• security alliances
• coercion
• power politics
• global order

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Georgetown

Places: United States, Denmark, Greenland

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