Who Fills the Void?

As the U.S. and Europe retreat, Russia and China move in on their terms.

Illustration by Mika Horelli & AI

By Mika Horelli

The global balance of power is no longer negotiated between Washington and Moscow. In 2025, decisions are made in Nairobi, Kampala, Kolkata, and Hanoi; places the West has long spoken of as the “Global South.” But what happens when the United States systematically pulls back and leaves the field open? This essay examines how Russia and China are expanding their influence and why a second Trump term accelerates a shift that should alarm us all.

I’m writing this from the corner bar on Rue Américaine, in Brussels’ Ixelles neighbourhood, where I’ve been a regular for eight years. The street name, Rue Américaine, is no accident. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States represented progress, industrial might, and urban modernity to much of Europe. In Belgium, city planners named new streets after countries held in high esteem: Rue Américaine, Rue Washington, Avenue Roosevelt. The neighbourhood was designed as a tribute to the future—a future that, back then, seemed to arrive first in America.

That future feels far away now.

Seen from Brussels in 2025, America looks inward and absent. President Donald Trump has once again promised to make America great. In Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, the most notable change is that the United States is no longer a significant presence in these regions.