‘The United States Is Abdicating’

Many of President Trump’s policies have brought changes to the international order that will last long after his second term ends. On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist Lydia Polgreen speaks with the political scientist Rahmane Idrissa and the “Sinica Podcast” host Kaiser Kuo about how the United States and China view global leadership and what their evolving positions mean for smaller nations. Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com. Want to catch “The Opinions” live?Join us at the Brooklyn Public Library on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Opinion columnists Jamelle Bouie and David French and the Opinion writer Michelle Cottle will unpack the midterm election results and look ahead to 2028. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/new-york-times-opinion-central-library-dweck-20261105-0700pm This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Derek Arthur. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud and Gautam Srikishan. Video editing by Brandon Belk-Yee and Britt Shacham Bernstein. The postproduction manager is Mike Puretz. Original music by Pat McCusker and Carole Sabouraud. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski and Ali Baluch. The director of Opinion Video is Jonah M. Kessel. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Daniel J. Wakin and Tim Schneider. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.