博客

The Pentagon has unveiled a transformative National Defense Strategy that fundamentally reorients U.S. military priorities toward hemispheric dominance while compelling American allies to assume greater responsibility for their own security. The 34-page document, released late Friday, represents the most significant shift in defense policy since 2022, explicitly criticizing European and Asian partners for their historical reliance on U.S. military subsidies.

The strategy framework emphatically declares an end to what it characterizes as decades of neglect toward American interests, opening with the stark assertion: ‘For too long, the U.S. Government neglected — even rejected — putting Americans and their concrete interests first.’ This philosophical foundation translates into concrete policy changes that will require allied nations to take primary responsibility for countering threats from Russia to North Korea.

Geopolitical tensions surrounding strategic assets emerged as a central theme, with the document specifically highlighting U.S. intentions to guarantee military and commercial access to the Panama Canal and Greenland. This focus follows President Trump’s recent confirmation of ongoing negotiations for ‘total access’ to Greenland through a framework agreement with NATO leadership, though Danish officials maintain that formal negotiations have not yet commenced.

The strategy markedly departs from previous administrations’ approach to China, no longer identifying the Asian power as America’s ‘pacing challenge’ but rather as an established regional force that requires deterrence rather than domination. Notably absent is any mention of security guarantees for Taiwan, contrasting sharply with the Biden administration’s 2022 strategy that explicitly supported the island’s asymmetric self-defense capabilities.

European allies received particularly direct messaging, with the document asserting that NATO members are ‘strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense’ against Russia, which the strategy classifies as ‘a persistent but manageable threat.’ This assessment comes amid confirmed U.S. troop reductions along NATO’s eastern borders, raising concerns among European partners about potential security vulnerabilities.

The comprehensive strategy document reinforces the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ philosophy throughout, emphasizing bilateral relationships based on mutual interest rather than traditional alliance structures, while maintaining the Pentagon’s role in supporting—but not leading—regional security architectures worldwide.

The United States has issued a stark financial ultimatum to Iraq regarding the formation of its next government, according to confirmation from an Iraqi official to Middle East Eye. Washington has threatened to sever Baghdad’s access to its oil revenue reserves held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York if Iranian-aligned paramilitary figures are incorporated into the new administration.

This financial pressure campaign emerges as political negotiations intensify following Iraq’s November parliamentary elections. The Financial Times initially reported the specific threat to cut off Iraq’s dollar deposit supply—a crucial mechanism that has existed since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Under this arrangement, Iraq’s oil export proceeds are stored in the U.S., with monthly shipments of hard currency airlifted to Baghdad, providing Washington with significant economic leverage.

The Trump administration has previously demonstrated willingness to utilize this financial weapon. During the 2020 crisis following the assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, when Baghdad threatened to expel U.S.-led coalition forces, American officials similarly threatened to restrict Iraq’s access to its dollar reserves.

Joshua Harris, the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, has personally delivered these warnings to Iraqi officials and influential Shia leaders. The absence of a formal ambassador—with Trump appointing Mark Savaya, a former legal cannabis dealer from Michigan, as special envoy—has placed Harris as the top-ranking State Department official in Iraq.

The tension escalated particularly after the election of Adnan Fayhan as first deputy speaker of parliament last month. Fayhan, a former member of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) militia, represents the type of political figure Washington seeks to exclude. The U.S. embassy reportedly suspended meetings with officials who supported Fayhan’s election and provided Iraqi counterparts with a list of unacceptable MPs.

Despite these pressures, Iraq’s political landscape remains complex. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani’s coalition emerged victorious in November’s elections but lacks sufficient seats to independently form a government. Meanwhile, the U.S. military presence has significantly diminished, with recent announcements of “full withdrawal” from Iraq’s military facilities excluding the Kurdish region, where approximately 1,500 troops remain stationed.

A dystopian cartoon titled “Gaza Beach 2030” by award-winning Dutch artist Peter de Wit portrays parents sunbathing on a Gazan beach while their toddler unearths human skulls from the sand. This haunting imagery now intersects with real-world geopolitical plans as Jared Kushner, former U.S. President Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy, unveiled a controversial vision for Gaza’s future at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Kushner’s proposal envisions a transformed Gaza Strip featuring gleaming skyscrapers, coastal tourist attractions, and commercial districts operating under “free market economy principles” modeled after Trump’s America. The presentation included AI-generated renderings depicting a cityscape resembling Gulf Arab states rather than traditional Palestinian architecture, complete with cultural inaccuracies such as Arabic text written in the wrong direction.

Analysts universally condemned the proposal as colonial capitalism exploiting tragedy. Daniel Levy, a British-Israeli analyst and former peace negotiator, characterized it as continuation of profit-seeking from genocide, noting that over 71,500 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict recognized as genocide by UN experts and human rights organizations.

Palestinian political analyst Abed Abou Shhadeh invoked Naomi Klein’s “The Shock Doctrine” to explain the phenomenon, stating: “They see the death of people as an opportunity to take their land, to take their apartments, and to take the rights over their land.” He predicted profiteers would include not only American and Israeli interests but also Arab businesspeople and wealthy Palestinians, while excluding the Palestinian people collectively.

Renowned British-Israeli academic Avi Shlaim called the plan “preposterous and obscene,” noting its “total denial of any Palestinian agency.” Critics highlighted the irony of Kushner promoting this vision while his private equity firm had received substantial investments from Gulf states including UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia after leaving the White House.

Practical implementation appears unlikely according to most analysts. Annelle Sheline, a former State Department official who resigned over the Gaza war, noted the prerequisite of Hamas’s complete disarmament would be improbable given Israel’s military failure to achieve this despite extensive operations. She warned Trump should remember American failures in Iraq and Afghanistan when considering forced transformations of foreign territories.