How Trump’s New National Security Strategy Takes on Hemispheric Defense |
The equivalent of geopolitical shockwaves has roiled the capitals of the world ever since the Trump administration released its long-awaited Nation Security Strategy (NSS) memo. The key takeaway from the 33-page document is that the United States will no longer prioritize Eurasia and the Middle East (and Africa). It will instead focus on the Western Hemisphere.
As a result of this document’s release, the British and Europeans are claiming that they will be prepared to fight—and win—a major war like the kind the grandfathers fought against the Russian Federation by 2028. Japan immediately tested Washington’s resolve by picking a diplomatic fight with China over the fate of Taiwan.
The Middle Eastern powers are all jockeying for a new security arrangement, as the Arab states silently align against Israel and both the Russians and Chinese move into the area. Meanwhile, activist foreign policy advisers in Washington keep trying to goad President Trump to take a more active military role in distant Africa, a region in which the United States has few national interests.
Not even one of these foreign powers that have become far too dependent on inherently unreliable long-term American security and economic guarantees are serious about rearming or standing against their rivals militarily. It is all a show intended to keep Trump committed long enough for his replacement to inevitably take power.
From Europe to the Middle East to Asia, the countries most worried about the new NSS are praying that Trump’s damage to their relationship with the US military can be mitigated, and he can ultimately be replaced by a more pliable leader. Indeed, it........