The August 2025 edition of the IRMO Brief, authored by Darren Spinck, deals with the position of the United States in the world after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th U.S. president. Ever since he took the Oval Office in January 2025, the world has witnessed Donald Trump upend the global trade and security architecture built after the Second World War. Even before his re-election, President Trump has perceived China as the main global challenger to the U.S. leadership in many strategic sectors, including AI, robotics, quantum computing, and advanced batteries. However, the June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, along with the White House’s subsequent hardening of its stance toward Moscow, represent a clear departure from the previously expected U.S. focus on prioritizing a forward military posture against China in the Indo-Pacific. The author also analyses how a pragmatic approach rather than ideological posturing could forge new alliances for the U.S. in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus.
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