The Predatory Hegemon (w/ Stephen Walt) | The Chris Hedges Report

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Feb 24, 2026

Stephen Walt, a Harvard political scientist who studies U.S. foreign policy, appears with sharp historical perspective. He explores Trump’s rule‑breaking worldview, predatory tactics toward allies, and how short‑term gains risk long‑term decline. He discusses rising multipolarity, Europe’s drift, weaponized finance, and the erosion of diplomacy. All in concise, provocative conversation.

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INSIGHT

Europe Will Pursue Strategic Independence From Washington

Europe will chart a more independent course, warming ties with China and forging trade arrangements that bypass the U.S.
Walt cites Dutch cooperation on chip export controls as an example allies may stop automatically following U.S. requests.

INSIGHT

Dollar Dominance Is America's Coercive Lever

U.S. control of dollar-based financial nodes gives coercive power to block countries from global markets.
Walt notes sanctions regimes force third parties to choose U.S. market access over risky partners like Iran.

INSIGHT

Eroding Soft Power Undermines America's Moral Authority

Cutting soft power tools like USAID and withdrawing from organizations undermines U.S. moral authority and long-term influence.
Walt highlights low cost of aid and symbolic damage from withdrawing as drivers of declining global appeal.

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As Donald Trump’s administration continues down the path of self destruction, it is taking the rest of the American population down with it. The abandonment of international allies, treaties and norms, the political scientist Stephen Walt argues, will slowly ostracize the United States and give rise to a multipolar world order which will leave the country behind.

Walt, the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of multiple books, joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to chronicle what this decline may look like and how Trump’s policy choices are not unlike past empires in history.

The decline, Walt and Hedges emphasize, is multifaceted. On the one hand, Trump is motivated by personal gain for himself and his family, and on the other, petty grievances towards countries once considered allies. This policy pattern will isolate the U.S. as Walt says, “we’re already starting to see lots of countries who are currently accommodating the United States in the short term also looking to find ways to de-risk, to reduce their vulnerability, to create alternative structures to one in which the United States has the central role. This isn’t going to leave the United States completely isolated. We’re too big for that. But it’s going to mean a long-term diminution in American wealth, power, influence, and security.”

International politicians, such as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, have already begun to understand that rather than groveling to a toxic Trump regime, standing up for your citizens can ultimately pay greater dividends. “You are going to see other leaders realize that kowtowing to Trump doesn’t get you any good, may prompt something of a nationalist backlash in your own country as well. And that in fact, taking a more principled position, defending your own country’s interests, even in the face of American pressure actually will pay political benefits,” Walt explains.