The Best Way to View Trump's Alarming New National Security Strategy

"Alarms are clanging worldwide over publication of President Donald Trump's " National Security Strategy," with commentators warning that it places the country " to the right of the extreme right," that it's " a shock to the system," " catastrophic to America's standing in the world," and could mark " the end of the free world." Unease is warranted; it's a nerve-rattling document, clearly designed for that effect."

"What is the aim and purpose of issuing such a thing? Its roots go back to 1975, when Congress required the secretaries of State and Defense to "jointly prepare and submit ... a written annual report setting forth in detail the foreign policy and military force-structure of the United States for the next fiscal year, how they relate to each other, and the justification for each.""

"Charlie Stevenson, an instructor at Johns Hopkins who helped draft the legislation when he was a young Senate aide, noted in a recent Substack post, "This was not an earth-shaking development, but it was a small step toward better interagency planning" and "set the stage for presidents to get directly involved" in that process. As the process evolved into the routine business of the National Security Council, the document itself became an obligatory afterthought, often drenched with cliché, designed to avoid sparking controversy."

The Trump National Security Strategy provoked widespread alarm, with critics calling it extreme and catastrophic to America's standing. The document is intentionally provocative and seeks to rebuff much of the post–World War II liberal international order. Questions arose about its authorship, purpose, and whether it would alter policy in practice. The strategy traces to a 1975 law requiring the secretaries of State and Defense to jointly submit an annual written report detailing foreign policy, military force structure, their relationship, and the justification for each. Over time the reporting became routine National Security Council work, often producing clichéd, noncontroversial reports.

Read at Slate Magazine