SHANGHAI - A hegemony never simply fades into history on its own. In fact, over the last couple of years, the world has witnessed U.S. hegemonic policy reach new extremes—even as the power sustaining that hegemony declines.

Shortly after taking office, Donald Trump launched a global tariff war, proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "American Gulf," kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro, and floated the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st U.S. state, along with Greenland, a territory of a European ally. These are all extreme manifestations of American hegemonic policy.

However, the future of the global order will not be shaped by hegemonic push—but by defiance against it.

It is always a challenge to face hegemonic pressure. To be sure, some compliance and even surrender have followed America’s bullying. Leaders of certain countries have pledged massive investment to please Trump—sums equal to or exceeding their annual GDPs, though they know full well such promises will never be kept. Some presidents or prime ministers have traveled to Washington seeking tariff pardons; others have surrendered to U.S. pressure in various ways.

 Yet defiance, not compliance, remains the mainstream trend in the face of hegemonic pressure. Compliance and surrender are only part of the story.

Defiance is first and foremost embodied in Iran’s resistance against joint U.S.-Israeli aggression. Iran has undoubtedly been one of the countries hardest hit by U.S. hegemonic policies—facing decades of severe economic sanctions, military threats, and political isolation, including two direct U.S. wars of aggression respectively in 2025 and 2026.

Despite all the difficulties, Iran has stood defiant as a truly sovereign nation. It has not only remained resilient through those hard years but also won both of the two wars. According to recent U.S. assessments, 228 American military sites or facilities were severely damaged by Iranian strikes during the 39day war.

The reason is simple: Iran’s defiance enjoys unanimous national support, as the Iranian people deeply cherish their independence and sovereignty. The U.S. lost both wars largely because neither the American public nor its major allies supported an unjustified war policy.

Iran’s defiance will certainly pay off. With these victories, Iran’s regional and global standing will rise, and it will play an even larger role in shaping the postwar order.

Defiance is secondly seen in European countries’ rejection of U.S. requests to join military actions. Major European nations have long been U.S. allies, often following Washington’s lead. Yet recent experiences show that European allies are not immune to U.S. hegemonic policies—whether through tariff wars or threats to annex the territory of another NATO ally.

For years, Europeans followed the U.S. on major strategic issues. But in the last two wars against Iran, Washington did not share any information with its European allies—a clear sign of disrespect. In response, Britain, France, and Germany all refused to provide military assistance and rejected U.S. requests to help escort vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. This defiance reflects growing dissatisfaction with longstanding unequal relations and America’s persistent disregard.

An even more telling example of defiance is China’s resistance to the U.S. tariff war. China has long been a major victim of U.S. economic sanctions, yet it has consistently maintained a resistant posture. Over the past several years, China has held its course in the face of U.S. tariff bluffing.

On one hand, China imposed export controls on rare earths as a countermeasure against U.S. tariffs and advancedchip restrictions. On the other hand, China agreed to negotiate with the U.S. on tariff issues—but insisted that talks take place not in the U.S., but in third countries. Negotiations were subsequently held in Switzerland, Britain, Sweden, Spain, Malaysia, France, and South Korea.

Those talks did produce some agreements, but most were merely about suspending the trade war for three months, six months, or one year—suggesting that U.S. bluffing achieved little, while defiance paid off. On May 13, U.S. President Donald Trump made a state visit to China at his own initiative, signaling that China had won respect through defiance.

All in all, hegemony has its own logic, mindset, and trajectory. It never reflects on its wrongs, and often experiences a last, desperate resurgence—one that is highly detrimental to regional and global order. That is the reality of today’s world.

Still, despite some acts of compliance, defiance will always endure. Compliance may yield small, immediate gains, but defiance ultimately defines strategic outcomes and the world order. History tells us so: it was defiance against fascism and militarism that allowed China to finally win its independence, and it was a united world that created a new order in the Second World War.

Iran’s ongoing defiance will be remembered as one of the most heroic and brave stands in human history against bullying and hegemony. Despite enormous losses, Iran has already won—and will continue to win—the respect of people in defiant nations and even in those that comply.
    
    
Dr. Jin Liangxiang is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for International Strategic and Security Studies within the Center for Middle East Studies.