U.S. Priorities on the World Stage
U.S. Priorities on the World Stage
From China, to the Middle East, to Eastern Europe, America faces growing international challenges.
As the United States finds itself facing a slew of challenges across the geopolitical landscape, it finds itself in a position that has not occurred since the end of the Cold War. A rising peer competitor in the East poses a threat the United States has not felt since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Eastern Europe and the Middle East, auxiliary states to this peer competitor challenge the periphery of the American-led world order.
In ranking the three theaters of conflict the United States finds herself engaged in currently, East Asia must come first for what it means to the world. China dreams of a world in which the United States no longer sets the tone, beginning in Taiwan. American efforts to stop those dreams from becoming reality must begin there as well. The only way to stop the cold war over Taiwan from turning hot is through a robust military presence providing credible deterrence.
After East Asia, our priorities become murkier. But with the renewed conflict in Gaza and Iran intent on diminishing American deterrence in the region, it seems fitting to rank the Middle East second. Stability in this volatile region has been hard to build and harder to maintain, but it is vital. An Iran untethered from constraints poses a grave threat to American allies in the region. This threat cannot be ignored.
Though Europe finds herself last in these rankings, she remains important. It is not 1950, however. Europe has the capacity to protect itself if prompted. In a world in which US resources are limited, our European allies will have to pick up the slack.
Scott Howard is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. An alumnus intern of National Review, he is currently an Editor at Lone Conservative and volunteers as an Associate Editor for the Freemen News-Letter. @ConservaMuse
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