The European establishment has ramped up its efforts to counter far-right forces, a move that will profoundly shape transatlantic relations in the Trump 2.0 era.

The Trump administration’s confused and misplaced understanding of its own national “interests” and “threats” will not only fail to help resolve the enormous domestic challenges facing the United States but will lead it further down the wrong track.

It has been described it as strategically meaningless, technically meaningless and economically meaningless. Yet this defense system could lead the world into conflict by destabilizing global strategic forces.

The Trump administration will continue to sway as it seeks new equilibrium amid stress-relieving turbulence. Historical patterns can be seen, but so can evolving realities. No one knows if America will find another escape route.

The U.S.-Russia contest over Ukraine ‌shows both the persistence of classic power politics and the clash of competing worldviews‌ at a time when the international system is undergoing ‌a seismic process of reordering. The Ukraine war and its potential settlement ‌are upending traditional major-power dynamics‌.

European delegates to security conference, reacting to a disturbing speech by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, say privately that it’s clear the continent must gradually break with the United States. The reduction of America’s strategic investment in Europe is accelerating Europe’s search for autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world.

Ukraine crisis lingers as the transatlantic alliance faces an uncertain future. Meanwhile, the international order is undergoing a profound restructuring as the sand shifts under traditional commitments by the United States and as Europe seeks greater autonomy.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House puts the Indo-Pacific at the center of U.S. foreign policy, but restoring American dominance won’t be easy. While his first term laid the groundwork for a strategic shift, China’s expanding economic and military influence has only grown stronger. To compete, Trump must recalibrate U.S. engagement—strengthening military alliances, reviving economic initiatives, and leveraging technological advantages—before Beijing cements its leadership in the region.

The war is unlikely to end according to the timeline of the incoming U.S. president. Imposing his Ukraine plan on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could give Russia an opportunity to rearm, thereby raising hurdles for the United States and its NATO allies.

Locked in a mindset of great power competition, the U.S. president has been trying to find a new balance. Decades of military involvement in the region not only cost the U.S. dearly but also provoked a sort of psychological fatigue.