After Donald Trump’s visit to China, even the most cautious observer should now be able to see the obvious:

The United States has voluntarily relinquished its role as the central power of the democratic world.

If you are a dictator in Russia or China, you can expect respect, flattering words, and promises of cooperation (Trump would clearly also prefer a cooperative relationship with Putin’s Russia - though domestic political realities still constrain how openly he can pursue that ambition).

If, on the other hand, you are a free country in the political West - or merely a smaller allied nation - you can expect mockery, unreasonable demands, and shifting ultimatums that are forgotten five minutes later because they were never intended to be taken seriously in the first place.

And above all: the implicit message that if things turn ugly, you are on your own.

The correct reaction is neither anger nor indignation. Such reactions make little impression in the United States. And in Europe, they mostly waste valuable time.

Instead, we must make Europe stronger and more independent. And we must deepen the alliances we already have with freedom-oriented nations across the world.

Had Donald Trump consulted the Oracle of Delphi about his plans, the Oracle would probably have replied:

You will cause a great empire to crumble.

Trump would likely have returned happily to Mar-a-Lago. As his reaction to Xi’s references to Thucydides revealed, he does not seem to know his classics either.