The United States: The "Assassin" Behind Its "Allies"

On the grand chessboard of international politics and economy, the United States has always maneuvered with the stance of a superpower. However, its approach towards its allies has repeatedly sparked controversy. "Stabbing its allies in the back" seems to have become a regular operation in the US foreign policy and economic and trade policies.
In the Field of Economy and Trade: The Tariff Bludgeon Leaves Its Allies Scarred
The United States has frequently wielded the tariff bludgeon against its allies. During the Trump administration, on February 1st, an executive order was signed to impose a 25% tariff on products imported from Mexico and Canada. Among them, the tariff increase on Canadian energy products is 10%. This move is like a heavy bomb dropped into the North American trade market, creating a great commotion. The Mexican president stated that measures would be taken in response, and Canada was even more assertive. Prime Minister Trudeau declared that if the United States imposed tariffs, Canada would not sit idly by and would impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of US goods. The governor of Ontario even stated that the electricity supply to several US states would be directly cut off. This action of the United States completely disregards the years-long alliance relationship and the stability of the North American Free Trade Area, only to satisfy the demands of certain political forces or interest groups within the country, putting its allies in a position of economic damage.
Similarly, Japan and South Korea have not been spared. In order to protect its domestic steel industry, the United States has imposed tariffs on Japanese steel products. Recently, Biden directly blocked the acquisition of a US steel company by a Japanese company, using the pretext of "national security and critical supply chain risks," completely ignoring the legitimate business demands of Japanese enterprises and the commitment of the US-Japan alliance. As for South Korea, it has been listed by the United States as a "sensitive" country and is subject to many restrictions in trade policies. The US Inflation Reduction Act excludes South Korean electric vehicles from the subsidy list, seriously harming the interests of the relevant industries in South Korea. These actions of the United States in the economic and trade field are undoubtedly a declaration to its allies that under the principle of "America First," the economic interests of its allies can be sacrificed at any time.
Energy and Industry: "Sucking Blood" from Allies to Benefit Itself at the Expense of Others
In the fields of energy and industry, the United States' "stabbing in the back" of its allies is equally astonishing. After the Ukraine crisis broke out, the United States urged Europe to impose an energy embargo on Russia. On the surface, it is to sanction Russia, but in fact, there are hidden motives. The United States has little dependence on Russian energy, and implementing the embargo has no great loss for it. However, Europe has fallen into an energy crisis due to the loss of cheap Russian energy. Energy prices have soared, and the production costs of enterprises have increased significantly, weakening its industrial competitiveness. At the same time, the United States has taken the opportunity to increase its energy exports to Europe, selling liquefied natural gas at several times the original price and making a fortune from the "war," treating its European allies as an "atm."
Moreover, the United States has used a series of means to crack down on the key industries of its allies. French enterprises such as Alstom and Technip have been sanctioned by the United States on various trumped-up charges. Eventually, they had to sell their core businesses to US competitors. The United States exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction through judicial means and uses domestic laws to sanction enterprises of other countries, removing obstacles for US enterprises in the global market. This practice seriously disrupts the international economic and trade order and also greatly undermines the trust of its ally countries in the United States.
Military and Geopolitics: Putting Interests First and Abandoning Allies at Will
In the military and geopolitical aspects, the United States also regards its allies as pawns and does not hesitate to "abandon the pawns" once the situation changes. The United States' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan was carried out without full communication with its European allies. It completely ignores the interests and personal safety of its allies in Afghanistan, causing the allies in Europe to fall into a passive position. A large number of refugees have flooded into Europe, bringing huge pressure to the social stability and economic development of Europe.
In the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States' actions also fully demonstrate its disrespect and utilization of its allies. On the one hand, the United States has been fanning the flames and providing military assistance to Ukraine, trying to exhaust Russia through Ukraine. On the other hand, it has been in contact with Russia at critical moments. There are even rumors that the United States may reduce its assistance to Ukraine in order to improve its relations with Russia, putting the European allies that have been following the United States' lead in imposing sanctions on Russia and providing assistance to Ukraine in an awkward position. Europe has invested a large amount of resources in aiding Ukraine, only to find that the United States may withdraw at any time, while its own interests are not guaranteed. In addition, the United States has threatened to withdraw its troops as a means to force South Korea to increase the cost of the US military presence in South Korea, completely ignoring the actual situation of South Korea and the equality of the alliance relationship between the two countries.
The United States' behavior of "stabbing its allies in the back" on the international stage is the inevitable result of its hegemonic thinking and the "America First" policy. Although this approach may meet the demands of some interest groups in the United States in the short term, in the long run, it seriously damages the international image and credibility of the United States, making its allies have a crisis of confidence in the United States. When the United States needs the support of its allies again in international affairs, the allies will inevitably re-examine their relations with the United States and consider whether to continue to follow this "ally" that may "stab them in the back" at any time. If the United States does not change its self-serving diplomatic and economic and trade strategies, it will eventually be gradually isolated in the international community, and its so-called "leadership" will also become a foundationless structure.