THE National Security Strategy (NSS) recently released by the Trump administration leaves little doubt that it is an effort to redirect US foreign policy and break in several ways from the past. How much of this will translate into actual policy actions that can be implemented in the real world of changing geopolitics and rapid developments waits to be seen.

The intent is to make protection of ‘core national interests’ the sole focus of strategy in pursuit of President Donald Trump’s America First foreign policy and reflecting his domestic priorities. Economic nationalism is central to the NSS which accords overriding importance to US economic and mercantilist interests. Stren­gthening America’s economic power and maintaining its economic pre-eminence is a priority goal and trade policy the means to ensure that. The strategy reflects Trump’s transactional and unilateralist view of how America should engage with the world.

A distinguishing aspect of the NSS is implicit acknowledgement that the world is now multipolar, where US leverage has limits. It says America will not seek to dominate the world. This can be read not just as a choice but recognition of a world where there has been a redistribution of global power, especially economic power. When the strategy refers to the US working to “maintain global and regional balances of power” it implies acceptance of that reality and of the influence of the world’s “great and middle powers”.

No longer aspiring to global dominance doesn’t mean the US will not act to prevent others seeking such ascendancy. According to........

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