On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti Does America's new national security strategy actually put 'America First'?
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Feb 4, 2026 Oriana Mastro, a scholar of Chinese strategy; Luis Rubio, a Latin America analyst; Michael Lee, a European politics expert; and Colonel Mark Kansian, a retired Marine and defense advisor. They discuss a shift toward Western Hemisphere priorities, Europe’s push for strategic autonomy and higher defense spending, implications for deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, and risks of transactional U.S. policy for alliances and regional stability.
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Economics And Hemisphere First
- The 2026 National Security Strategy shifts tone and centers economics and the Western Hemisphere as priorities.
- It reframes security as transactional, emphasizing balanced trade and re-industrialization at home.
Policy Tone And Presidential Focus
- The new NDS mirrors the White House tone and explicitly centers the president in policy language.
- It drops earlier emphasis on efficiencies and reframes relationships with allies as transactional.
Europeans Shocked By Rules-Based Critique
- Europeans see attacks on the 'rules-based international order' as a fundamental shock.
- Michael Lee says allies worry they're now treated like adversaries, prompting defensive responses.
