If there were any lingering doubts, January 2026 confirmed that the liberal international order (LIO) led by the United States (US) is over. On 3 January 2026, in response to widespread, violent demonstrations, President Donald Trump set the scene for pursuing regime change in Iran, warning the Iranian authorities that “[i]f they start killing people like they have in the past, […] I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States” (Cvorak and Varghese).