Washington’s Power Recalibration in the Indo-Pacific

Photograph Source: U.S. Secretary of War – Public Domain

In the corridors of Washington, the world is increasingly viewed through the narrow prism of a besieged fortress. For the nations of the Indo-Pacific, the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), released on January 23 under the title Restoring Peace Through Strength for a New Golden Age of America, offers a vision as unsettling as it is unambiguous. It signals a retreat into a “Homeland First” posture, leaving the region to navigate...