As Trump 2.0 approaches its first anniversary, the administration’s vision has come into sharper focus than its predecessor’s on both the domestic and foreign policy fronts. In the realm of foreign affairs, the relentless pursuit of American interests reigns supreme. Other nations are regarded as mere instruments – and even allies are subjected to unsparing pressure through tariffs and other coercive measures. We have witnessed this approach unfold before our eyes. The question now looms large: What shape will the international order take under this administration?

A crucial strategic document for divining the trajectory of the coming years emerged without fanfare from the Trump White House: the National Security Strategy. Days after it appeared quietly on the White House website, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum that appeared to foreshadow the substance of the forthcoming National Defense Strategy. From these documents, we can begin to discern the future of American alliances and the international order itself.

The National Security Strategy 2025, whatever one’s personal sentiments, reflects a more coherent strategic vision than its Trump 1.0 counterpart. Its animating philosophy is unambiguous: National resources exist to serve America and American interests alone.

Among the objectives the United States pursues, national defense naturally occupies pride of place. Yet the document’s conception of threats extends to hostile foreign influence in its myriad forms; not merely espionage, but trade practices, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, propaganda, influence operations, and cultural subversion. Complete control over........

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