To ensure a free, open, prosperous, and secure world, the United States must be the winner in the race for global supremacy. For the US, the biggest challenge now is to compete with China, while at the same time containing Russia. That was the key message of the US' national security strategy, which was released last Wednesday, at a time when the US no longer has the same agency to tackle the myriad of challenges it faces around the globe the way it used to.
In the good old days following the end of World War II, the US called the shots on almost everything, dictating the rules on economic policies and security matters that eventually became the norm followed by the international community. Now, the global security landscape is not quite the same. The US no longer commands the respect of other nations the way it used to, nor does it have the power that it once had. This is reflected in Washington's latest security strategy, which sees the US adjusting its posture to the changed geopolitical situation, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the past seven decades, no country could challenge the US' superiority in any area, allowing it to take the lead without any difficulty. Its sheer power meant any country which refused to follow the US lead would only meet a certain demise. But lately, American policymakers are becoming concerned as both the US' allies and foes are increasingly coordinating their actions to voice their disapproval of Washington's actions.
