Self Defense, Rather Than Reliance, Is the Price of Sovereignty

The US National Security Strategy is a symptom of change.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz addresses the U.N. Security Council as they meet to vote on a draft resolution to authorize an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, in New York City on Nov. 17, 2025. Adam Gray/Getty Images

Commentary

Perhaps every international order is born of trauma. In 1945, the world wasn’t trying to design utopia. Two world wars had killed tens of millions, leveled cities, and convinced many that industrial-scale war could end civilization itself. The core danger wasn’t merely aggression; it was uncontrolled escalation.