Introduction: The Mask Comes Off
If you want to know what the future of global geopolitics looks like, look at the two images dominating the news cycle this week.
On one hand, we have the President of the United States tweeting about "Freedom" in Iran, sending Israel into a spiral of high-alert panic. On the other, we have international analysts—like those on TVP World—asking the quiet part out loud: "Is Trump entering the club of global bullies?"
The answer, increasingly, seems to be a resounding "Yes."
For decades, the United States maintained a delicate facade. It projected power, yes, but it wrapped that power in the language of "International Law," "Human Rights," and the "Rules-Based Order." But in January 2026, that facade has not just cracked; it has been shattered. The US is no longer acting as a counterweight to authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. Instead, it is adopting their playbook, joining them in a cynical, trilateral game where "Might Makes Right" is the only law that matters.
1. The Venezuela Precedent: A Mafia Hit on a Sovereign State
To understand the terror currently gripping Tel Aviv regarding Iran, we must look at what happened just days ago in South America.
On January 3rd, the US military didn't just intervene in Venezuela; they executed a decapitation strike. The raid that captured Nicolás Maduro was not a diplomatic pressure campaign or a support mission for local democracy advocates. It was a smash-and-grab operation against a sovereign head of state.
Regardless of one's opinion on Maduro, the geopolitical implication is earth-shattering. The US has effectively declared that sovereignty is conditional. If the US President decides you are "illegitimate," your borders mean nothing, your laws mean nothing, and your leadership can be kidnapped and flown to New York to face trial.
This is the behavior of a "Global Bully." It mirrors exactly what the West criticized Russia for doing in Ukraine. By executing this raid, Washington has signaled to the world that the "Rules-Based Order" is dead. There are no rules anymore—only targets.
2. The "Freedom" Trap: Why Israel is Trembling
This brings us back to the "Freedom" remark regarding Iran.
When Donald Trump posted that "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before", the world didn't hear a promise of liberation. They heard a threat of annihilation.
Israel’s "High Alert" status is not paranoia; it is pattern recognition. They saw the raid in Venezuela. They see the threats to buy Greenland against the will of Denmark. They realize that when this administration speaks of "helping," it means kinetic military action.
Why is Israel scared? Because in the "Club of Global Bullies," even allies are expendable. If the US launches a Venezuela-style "decapitation" strike on Tehran's leadership, the inevitable retaliation (thousands of ballistic missiles) will not hit Washington DC. It will hit Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israel realizes it is being used as the "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for American aggression, destined to absorb the blowback of US foreign policy experiments.
3. Joining the Club: The US, Russia, and China
The TVP World graphic you’ve seen asks if Trump is "joining their hypocrisy". The reality is darker: He is joining their methodology.
For years, the geopolitical narrative was Democracy vs. Autocracy.
Russia used energy blackmail and military force.
China used economic coercion and debt traps.
The US claimed to use diplomacy and "values."
Today, that distinction has vanished.
Like Russia, the US is now openly threatening to seize territory (Greenland) and invade sovereign neighbors (Mexico/Venezuela).
Like China, the US is using its economic weight not to build markets, but to crush dissent through "maximum pressure" sanctions that starve populations.
We have moved from a Unipolar world (US Hegemony) to a Multi-Bully World. The "Big Three" (US, Russia, China) have effectively agreed on one thing: The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.
4. The Death of the "Good Guy" Narrative
The most tragic casualty of this shift is the concept of moral high ground.
When the US funds protests in Iran today, it can no longer claim to be doing so for the "voice of the people." The world saw what happened in Venezuela. The world sees the transactional nature of US support. If you have oil (Venezuela, Iran) or strategic land (Greenland), you are a target. If you are a humanitarian disaster with no resources (like Sudan or Haiti), you are ignored.
This cynicism is the hallmark of the "Bully Club." It strips away the pretense of ideology. We are no longer fighting for "Freedom"; we are fighting for Control.
Conclusion: A World Without Guardrails
As we watch the news tickers scroll with warnings of "High Alert" in the Middle East, we must recognize that we have entered a new, more dangerous era of history.
The "Global Policeman" has retired, and a "Global Gangster" has taken his place. The US has looked at the ruthless tactics of its rivals and decided that if you can't beat them, join them.
For the people of Iran, Venezuela, and even allied nations like Israel and Denmark, the message is clear: The Empire is off the leash. And in a world ruled by bullies, there is no such thing as safety—only submission.