In only a few weeks, the United States has walked away — or rather sprinted — from decades of global leadership. It’s unrealistic that another power will fully replace the role America has played in shaping global affairs, but some are navigating how to fill some gaps.

Europe and China both have incentives to step up, for different reasons and with different priorities. Europe is alarmed at what the loss of America’s democratic leadership means for stability and progress around the world. America was on its team, so America’s retreat is costly. China, on the other hand, is smiling since America’s retreat positions it better to influence the world to better serve China’s interests.

Elizabeth Shackelford is senior policy director at Dartmouth College’s Dickey Center for International Understanding and a foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

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