“I think Trump may be one of those figures in history who appears from time to time to mark the end of an era and to force it to give up its old pretences...”
Yes the pretences may be given up...but some core realities remain. Take NATO for example. Trump essentially threatens to dismantle it and then all of a sudden the stubborn nations decide to pay up...
They realize, that for whatever reason, they still have a stake in what has been built.
No, I think he does.