Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Feb 11: The latest National Security Strategy (NSS) unveiled under US President Donald Trump signals a significant recalibration of American foreign policy, raising concerns across Southeast Asia about Washington’s long-standing role as a strategic counterweight to China. According to a report published Wednesday in Eurasia Review, the document suggests that traditional US security assurances in the region may diminish sooner than many had expected.
The report describes an emerging global landscape defined by heightened rivalry, unpredictability, and fragmentation. In this shifting environment, Southeast Asian nations are being urged to strengthen ASEAN-centered institutions and diversify their strategic relationships with other regional powers to safeguard stability.
As the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026, maritime disputes in the South China Sea are expected to dominate its agenda. Manila’s most favorable outcome would be the successful revision and reinforcement of a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea. However, prospects for such progress appear increasingly uncertain, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s 2025 NSS, released in December. The strategy marks a notable departure from liberal internationalist principles, instead emphasizing a transactional, interest-driven, and “America First” approach that critics describe as disruptive to established norms.
The report further argues that the United States appears less inclined to actively contain China’s rise, instead acknowledging the dominant influence of major powers as an enduring reality of international relations. In this framing, China and Russia are no longer positioned primarily as adversaries to a rules-based order but as powers entitled to distinct spheres of influence. Recent US foreign policy moves — including actions in Venezuela and rhetoric surrounding Greenland — are seen as reinforcing this perception and potentially encouraging Beijing and Moscow to assert similar doctrines within their own regions.
With Washington increasingly prioritizing its immediate hemisphere, Southeast Asian states may face growing strategic ambiguity. Many in the region have historically relied on US engagement to balance China’s expanding footprint and maintain regional equilibrium. The recalibrated American posture outlined in the NSS could compel political and economic leaders across Southeast Asia to rethink their diplomatic and security strategies amid intensifying great-power competition.
The report concludes that while official strategy documents may not always dictate President Trump’s foreign policy decisions, Southeast Asia has never ranked high among his administration’s priorities. In the absence of a clearly articulated US regional strategy, ASEAN member states must adapt by reinforcing mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and the East Asia Summit (EAS), while simultaneously building deeper trust and cooperation within the region — particularly in managing relations with China.