US President Donald Trump set out a new US security strategy on Friday that calls for a stronger role in the Western Hemisphere, a larger military presence in the Indo-Pacific, and a possible rethink of America’s long-standing partnership with Europe, Reuters reported.
The National Security Strategy, released overnight, outlines what the White House calls “flexible realism” and proposes bringing back elements of the Monroe Doctrine the 19th-century policy that declared the Western Hemisphere to be under US influence.
What the new strategy says
The 29-page document says Trump wants to “restore American preeminence” in the region and argues that a larger US military presence in the Caribbean and Latin America will continue.
The paper says, “This ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities.”
The strategy comes months after Trump used his speech at the United Nations to call for “strong nations with clear interests,” a view that challenged post-Cold War expectations of multilateral cooperation.
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Reviving the Monroe Doctrine
The strategy document refers directly to the Monroe Doctrine and says the United States should again treat the Western Hemisphere as a key area of interest.
Critics have said Trump’s approach risks being seen as modern-day imperialism. Since taking office, Trump has spoken about retaking the Panama Canal and annexing Greenland and Canada, Reuters reported.
The United States has deployed more than 10,000 troops to the Caribbean, along with an aircraft carrier, warships and fighter jets.
A senior Latin America analyst, Jason Marczak, told Reuters: “The new National Security Strategy points out pretty clearly that we’re not going to go back to the way things were.”
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Europe warned about “civilisational erasure”
The strategy raises questions about Europe’s long-term role as a US ally. The document says Europe could face “civilizational erasure” and must adjust its course if it is to remain a reliable partner.
“Over the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades certain NATO members will become majority non-European,” the paper says. “As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter.”
Some commentators in Europe told Reuters the document echoed the language of far-right political parties that have become more prominent in countries such as Germany and France.
Russia, Ukraine and NATO
The strategy states it is in the US interest to secure a quick resolution in Ukraine and to rebuild “strategic stability” with Russia.
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Trump has often spoken positively about Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has led to criticism that he is “soft on Russia”.
Reuters also reported that Washington wants Europe to take on the majority of NATO’s conventional defence responsibilities, including intelligence and missile systems a timeline that some European officials consider difficult.
China and the Indo-Pacific
The document highlights China as a central strategic challenge. It says the United States aims to prevent conflict over Taiwan and the South China Sea by strengthening the military power of the US and its allies.
“Deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” the strategy says, according to Reuters.
