Why in the news?
Recently Donald Trump administration released the National Security Strategy 2025 (NSS 2025), a statutory requirement, laying out the US foreign policy priorities, principles and focus.
Key features of NSS 2025
- Reassertion of the Monroe Doctrine: It elevates the Western Hemisphere as the top strategic priority.
- It asserts U.S. pre-eminence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- The Monroe Doctrine (1823) dealt with the non-interference of European powers in the Western Hemisphere.
- Links national security to economic strength: Focuses on reindustrialisation, critical mineral access, energy dominance using trade reciprocity, tariffs, market access as key policy tools
- Ideological Shift: The strategy replaces value-based democracy promotion with "civilizational pluralism," ending the USA's interference in internal political arrangements of countries.
- Role of Asia: It is portrayed as central to America's future, reaffirming a free and open Indo-Pacific for America's security.
- Great Power Dynamics: It ceases to label Russia and China as an existential threat.
- "Golden Dome": It seeks to develop a state-of-the-art missile defence shield specifically for homeland protection rather than the collective defence of allies.
Global Implications
- Militarisation of Economic Geography: Resource-rich regions, e.g., Latin America, the Arctic become arenas of strategic competition for economic security (treated as national security).
- Recent US actions in Venezuela (Operation Absolute Resolve and Operation Southern Spear) and Greenland can be explained in this light
- Venezuela has the largest oil reserve and the highest gold reserve in Latin America, while Greenland is rich in Rare Earth Elements, e.g., Kvanefjeld and Tanbreez deposits, oil and gas resources.
- Normalisation of Authoritarian regimes: NSS abandons imposing liberal democratic values abroad and adopts a realist approach to work with autocracies, aligning with U.S. interests.
- This could benefit autocracies such as Pakistan, as the US willingness to enforce norms and rules-based human rights diminishes.
- Threatening Rule-based global order: E.g., Trump threatening annexation of Greenland or panama canal for strategic reasons violates important global principles.
- Article 2 of the UN charter legally mandates states to refrain from the use of force except in self-defence and collective action authorised by the Security Council.
- Weakening of Multilateralism: NSS calls many international Org. as "sovereignty-sapping incursions" and prioritises bilateral engagement tied to national interests (flexible realism)
- Eg, recently the US withdrew from 66 organisations, e.g., the UN Conference on Trade and Development, apart from its earlier withdrawal from various organisations.
- Reduced aid to Global South: NSS omits the term Global South and prioritises domestic economic revival over overseas commitments and ties assistance to its strategic priorities.
- The USA is the largest single donor of aid in the world, accounting for 30% of global Official Development Assistance.
- The world may be divided into spheres of influence: As NSS focuses on the Western Hemisphere, demanding regional actors handle their own security.
- This allows China to increase its military and economic presence in Asia and Indo pacific and global south
- Arms race: NSS's emphasis on nuclear modernisation and deterrence risks intensifying arms competition and weakening global nuclear disarmament.
Implications for India | |
Opportunities | Challenges |
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Way ahead for India
India may pursue strategic collaboration with the United States where interests converge, particularly in technology cooperation, maritime coordination, and supply chain diversification. At the same time, it may diversify its external partnerships to hedge against U.S. unpredictability by finalizing the EU Free Trade Agreement and strengthening security and economic ties with countries such as France, Germany, Japan, and Australia.
