THREAD: The 2017 national security strategy (NSS) cites "[t]hree main sets of challengers...[that] are actively competing against the United States and our allies and partners".
Set 1: China, Russia
Set 2: Iran, North Korea
Set 3: (Primarily) Jihadist terrorist groups
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Set 1: China, Russia
Set 2: Iran, North Korea
Set 3: (Primarily) Jihadist terrorist groups
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Taking stock of ongoing trends as well as developments of this year (it's amazing how much can happen in just one week...) leads to some sobering conclusions.
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Set 1: U.S. relations with China and Russia have each deteriorated significantly.
In addition, many observers contend that Washington's decision to frame them jointly under the auspices of "great-power competition" has accelerated their rapprochement.
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In addition, many observers contend that Washington's decision to frame them jointly under the auspices of "great-power competition" has accelerated their rapprochement.
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Set 2: U.S. leverage over Iran and North Korea has declined significantly.
It's unclear what largely unilateral U.S. "maximum pressure" campaigns will now be able to achieve, and a growing number of observers fear we could be entering a new era of nuclear proliferation.
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It's unclear what largely unilateral U.S. "maximum pressure" campaigns will now be able to achieve, and a growing number of observers fear we could be entering a new era of nuclear proliferation.
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Set 3: Assessments here are mixed, but there are concerns about the potential for the Islamic State to resurge in Iraq, and the past two decades demonstrate how adaptive and resilient terrorist threats can be.
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The United States increasingly finds itself at odds with its longstanding allies and partners as it attempts to address the first two sets of challengers that the NSS identifies.
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