American hegemony is waningUS President Donald Trump and Sanae Takaichi, Japan's prime minister, meet on Thursday in the Oval Office of the White House. With more than 50 treaty allies and formal security partners, the US built the first truly global security system in history. Yet the response from America's security partners has been muted, hesitant, or negative. If European states succeed in negotiating separate guarantees with Iran rather than acting through the alliance system, the implications will extend far beyond the Persian Gulf. Such an outcome would strike at the heart of American power and could mark the beginning of a broader breakdown in the US-centred global security architecture.

Source: Bangkok Post March 20, 2026 22:34 UTC