A new study written by a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and published in Qiushi, the journal of the Communist Party of China, argues that recent adjustments to U.S. national security strategy represent a change in tactics by the U.S. rather than a departure from Washington’s pursuit of global hegemony.
The study analyzes the U.S. National Security Strategy report released on Dec. 4, 2025, and concludes that the United States is narrowing its strategic focus in response to what it sees as declining relative power and the costs of decades of global overextension. According to the author, the new strategy places priority on domestic revitalization, including reindustrialization, border security, energy independence, and economic nationalism, framing these goals as central components of national security.
The analysis highlights a shift toward what it describes as a “fortress” approach in the Western Hemisphere, marked by renewed emphasis on U.S. dominance in Latin America and resistance to the involvement of external powers in the region. At the same time, U.S. engagement in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa is portrayed as more selective, focused on economic competition, security deterrence, and narrowly defined national interests rather than broad ideological leadership.
