Dive into a thought-provoking discussion on the dramatic shift in U.S. national security strategy. Simone and Malcolm Collins break down the recent changes in American foreign policy, exploring how the U.S. is moving away from its traditional role as “world police” and adopting a more pragmatic, self-interested approach. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the new U.S. national security strategy means for America’s relationships with Europe, Russia, China, and other global players Why the U.S. is prioritizing sovereignty, border security, and domestic interests over global intervention How these changes impact alliances, migration, trade, and the future of international cooperation The philosophical and cultural shifts driving this new era in American geopolitics Whether you’re interested in politics, international relations, or just want to understand the forces shaping our world, this conversation offers clear insights and lively debate. Simone outlined this episode, so links and basic points are below and you’ll find the episode transcript at the end. :) Based Camp - A Shift in US National Security The Gist The days of Team America: World Police are over; we’ve gone from “America, F Yeah” to “America: Don’t look at me ask Qatar.” In November, the Trump Administration released a new national security strategy that is… pretty based * It reframes the EU from partner to “problem” * It insists countries need to handle their own problems * It makes redditors mad: When prompted to explain the new strategy release, they said things like: * “the eu is in Putin’s way. The US is currently in the habit of agreeing with Putin on everything, word for word. Also, the leader of the US is making a lot of noise to distract from being the name mentioned the most on those ‘trump files from epstein’s pedophile island” that everyone that isn’t on the list wants released. This is a good distraction.” * “The EU didn’t allow Trump’s shady real estate businesses. So there are no Trump Towers here. He is now making deals with Hungary and other right wing led countries to finally get a foot on EU soil. But as for business opportunities, he is rather friends with russians and arabs who flatter him as much as they can.” * Quotes from the document: * “Our elites badly miscalculated America’s willingness to shoulder forever global burdens to which the Ameri\can people saw no connection to the national interest” * “The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over” * “We will assert and enforce a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine” * “[Europe’s] economic decline is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure” * “We want Europe to remain European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence, and to abandon its failed focus on regulatory suffocation.” * “[America’s goal is] cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations” THE US IS SHIFTING FROM HELICOPTOR PARENTING TO F AROUND AND FIND OUT PARENTING!! YES!!!! But in all seriousness, we as citizens—and we’d argue that all people—should probably be aware of what this shift in strategy entails, so let’s get into it What is Changing About US Strategy? In what way does this strategy represent a shift from the United States’ national security strategy up to this point? * Replaces global “rules‑based order” and democracy‑promotion language with a much narrower definition of U.S. interests focused on sovereignty, borders, and domestic strength rather than universal values. * Elevates the Western Hemisphere to top priority, making migration, drugs/cartels, and China’s regional footprint the central threats, instead of putting great‑power competition with China/Russia and the Indo‑Pacific or Europe at the core. * Treats mass migration itself as a primary national security threat and justifies using military force, including cross‑border strikes on cartels, as a routine tool of hemispheric enforcement—far beyond prior strategies’ law‑enforcement and humanitarian framing. * Downshifts the Middle East from central theater to secondary concern, framing it mostly in terms of energy markets and transactional deals, in contrast to decades of “war on terror” and regime‑change or stabilization ambitions. * Reorients alliances and Europe policy around burden‑sharing, trade balances, and “Western identity,” openly criticizing European migration and regulatory policies instead of emphasizing cohesive liberal institutions and shared democratic values. * Places economic nationalism at the heart of security, prioritizing tariffs, re‑shoring, and industrial policy over support for multilateral trade regimes that earlier strategies still treated as broadly beneficial for U.S. power. * De‑emphasizes international law and the “rules‑based international order,” signaling more transactional, case‑by‑case cooperation and fewer self‑imposed constraints on U.S. action than in Obama‑era and Biden‑era documents. What is Shift
