They include:
- Cyber warfare
- Artificial intelligence competition
- Space-based military assets
- Economic coercion
- Supply chain vulnerabilities
- Information warfare
These challenges blur the line between domestic and foreign policy.
A cyberattack originating abroad can impact domestic infrastructure. A supply chain disruption overseas can affect inflation at home.
This interconnectedness strengthens the argument for global engagement—but also increases the burden of maintaining constant readiness across multiple domains.
Is There a Middle Path?
The debate is often framed as binary: either global leadership or isolation.
But many policymakers advocate for a middle approach sometimes described as:
- Selective engagement
- Strategic restraint
- Prioritized deterrence
- Alliance optimization
- Reduced but focused global presence
This approach suggests maintaining core alliances and critical deterrence capabilities while reducing involvement in less strategically essential regions.
The challenge lies in determining what qualifies as “core.”
