India, Nov. 7 -- Donald Trump's stunning return to the presidency of the United States (US) will have significant implications for international politics. Unless his second term differs dramatically from the first, which is unlikely, we can expect a sharply interest-based, mostly disinterested and extractive approach to global engagement by Washington.

One of the key features of American foreign policy during Trump's first term in office was transactionalism - a "mercantile" approach. Under Trump 2.0, this policy - essentially to safeguard clear and direct American interests - rather than pursuing esoteric goals such as democracy or values promotion is likely to continue. All American administrations engage the world to safeguard their i...