2025 US National Security Strategy

Trump turns the US away from internationalism and liberalism and towards realism

The 2025 US National Security Strategy (NSS), released by the Trump administration in December 2025, signals a major shift towards an "America First," transactional foreign policy, prioritizing domestic security (border, economic strength) and the Western Hemisphere over global commitments, moving away from major power competition focus and rejecting forced democracy promotion, while seeking managed economic relations with China and urging Europe to handle its own defense and challenges with Beijing. Key themes include securing the hemisphere via a "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, bolstering economic sovereignty, ending mass migration, and a less interventionist stance on foreign governance, focusing only on direct threats to US interests. 

Key Themes & Shifts

• America First & Domestic Focus: Strong emphasis on border security, countering migration, and boosting domestic industrial capacity.

• Western Hemisphere Focus: A primary goal to ensure hemisphere stability, combat cartels, and prevent foreign (especially Chinese) influence through a "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, requiring redeployment of forces.

• China & Russia: Less emphasis on direct competition with Russia; a more transactional approach to China, seeking a "mutually advantageous economic relationship" while encouraging Europe to confront Beijing's economic practices.

• Rejection of Globalism: Moves away from the post-Cold War idea of permanent US global domination and imposing democracy, preferring to act only when US interests are directly threatened.

• Europe's Role: Expects Europe to take primary responsibility for its own defense and confront China's economic tactics, unlike past strategies that aligned closely with European "de-risking".