At the United Nations, President Trump reaffirmed his America First doctrine with characteristic defiance — isolating Iran, rejecting AI governance, confronting Cuba — yet the very outcomes he seeks, from open oil straits to stable trade, depend on the consent and cooperation of the nations he addresses. History has long reminded those who hold power that unilateral will and multilateral reality are not enemies, but uneasy partners. The weeks ahead, from a Washington summit with Xi Jinping to decisions on Iranian oil routes, will reveal whether strength and compromise can coexist within a sing