December 15, 2025
President Trump’s recent issuance of his National Security Strategy 2025–National Security Strategy (NSS) is already creating fissures in the West’s rules-based international order. It is not a complete break from the zero sum game mentality of the West, but it has definitely undermined some of its axiomatic beliefs. The new strategy of the United States will alter the direction of some of the policies that have been promoted by what Trump correctly labels, “the transatlantic elites.” However, Trump’s America First strategy, outlined in NSS, discloses strategic errors in Trump’s world outlook, which if not corrected, portend a perilous future for the United States and the world. I summarize below what I discussed in the video above.
Highlights of NSS:
- Russia is no longer identified as America’s enemy.
- China is criticized for its successful economic policy throughout this new strategy document. However, contrary to the tirades by the U.S. Establishment, China is not identified as America’s number one enemy, but rather as a near economic peer.
- Europe is a major target of the new strategy, suggesting that some European nations may not “be recognizable in twenty years.”
- NATO, “as a perpetually expanding alliance” must come to a halt, and Ukraine must reach a peace agreement with Russia as quickly as possible.
- As part of America First strategy, he asserts the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. He is really extending the 1904 Roosevelt corollary that gave the United States the right to police the Western Hemisphere. This is actually opposite to the 1823 doctrine of President Monroe, written by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, to work with and develop the nations of Central and South America. Trump’s new corollary attacks China, without naming it, for its Belt and Road Initiative, which he considers encroachment on the security and the supply chains of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.
Egregious Strategic Omissions of NSS
- The absence of articulating of a vision of mutual economic cooperation that parallels China’s President, Xi Jinpng’s conception of “a community with a shared future for mankind,” is a grave failure in strategic thinking .
- There is no mention of collaboration with the Global South, which represents the majority of the world, for a new paradigm of development devoted to raising the living standards of all nations.
- Out of thirty-three pages in Trump’s NSS, only three paragraphs are devoted to Africa. This is a massive failure in strategic-economic thinking. Africa is projected to have a population of 2.5 billion people by 2050-one quarter of the world’s population, the largest workforce, and largest youth population, plus possession of the majority of rare earth minerals. Not to formulate a strategy that includes the development of the African continent as the highest priority in the 21st century, is gross negligence.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, consultant on Africa, and an analyst of global strategic relations. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, also publishes on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World, and on X @lkfreemansafrica