In short, Mexico is setting up detention camps, erecting check points, expanding the police state, and potentially militarizing its border to appease its superpower neighbor.

Trump’s isolationist base loathes neocons because they tried to export American democracy — impose a “new world order” — at gunpoint. But Trump’s America First-ism is forcing Mexico to turn itself into an extension of America’s border police. It’s becoming a buffer state to protect American sovereignty. If neocons wanted to turn other countries into America’s protectorates, Trump wants to turn them into America’s protectors.

Over time, an America that plays by no rules except narrowly selfish ones will breed resentment and anger. It will certainly force a reordering of the world — but around an anti-American axis. Trump’s saber-rattling against Iran is already bringing Russia and China closer together with both countries blaming the U.S. for heightened tensions. Mexico may be succumbing to Trump’s demands right now but it is unlikely it will keep acting against its interest indefinitely, especially as ordinary Mexicans inevitably lash back against “gringo” demands.