Online Reporter
David Makora
The release of the United States 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) marks a stark departure from the tenets of responsible global leadership, pivoting instead toward a doctrine of “global thuggery” that elevates unilateralism and brute force over international law and multilateral cooperation. Drawing on in-depth analyses, this critique highlights the strategy’s fundamental flaws, its far-reaching implications for global stability, and the urgent need for a more inclusive, rules-based international order.
Redefining Sovereignty: Coercion Over Self-Determination
At the heart of the 2025 NSS lies a perilous redefinition of sovereignty. Traditionally understood as a nation’s inherent right to self-governance within the bounds of international law, sovereignty is distorted in this strategy to frame the “freedom to coerce others” as the cornerstone of American power.
By positioning itself above the very international institutions it helped establish, the United States asserts that its national interests are the sole legitimate benchmark for global action.
This creates a dangerous double standard: while demanding unwavering respect for its own borders and laws, the US claims a unilateral licence to override the sovereignty of other nations through economic sanctions, asset freezes, and coercive military posturing.
The Four Pillars of Misguided Policy
The 2025 NSS rests on four foundational misconceptions that undermine global stability and collaborative governance:
– Grandiosity: The unfounded conviction in US supremacy across all domains ignores the reality of a multipolar world, where economic and technological momentum is rapidly shifting eastward.
This overconfidence risks alienating key allies and grossly underestimating emerging powers.
– Machiavellian Calculus: A worldview that treats all nations — friends and foes alike — as mere instruments to advance American interests. This transactional approach breeds deep-seated distrust, as countries increasingly feel manipulated and disrespected in international forums.
– Myopic Nationalism: The dismissal of international law as a “burden” rather than a framework for global predictability and stability. By eroding the rules-based order, the US weakens the mechanisms that underpin security and equity in global affairs.
– Institutional Thuggery: The explicit signal that intelligence and military assets will be deployed more aggressively to extract concessions from smaller states.
This echoes the destabilising regime-change tactics of the past, posing a direct threat to the sovereignty of vulnerable nations.
From Diplomacy to Economic Warfare: The New Battlefront
While the US has shown reluctance to engage in large-scale, boots-on-the-ground conflicts, it has significantly ramped up economic strangulation as a primary tool of coercion.
The weaponisation of the US dollar and the global financial system has become the primary lever of pressure, with unilateral sanctions and asset seizures triggering widespread economic dislocation.
The strategy openly advocates for securing exclusive contracts for US firms and shutting foreign competitors out of global infrastructure — a form of “silent warfare” that undermines free trade.
A stark illustration is the recent seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers on the high seas, carried out under unilateral US sanctions rather than a United Nations mandate.
Global Implications: Erosion of Trust and Moral Authority
The 2025 NSS’s confrontational posture carries profound consequences:
– Eroding Trust: Even close European allies view the US as an unpredictable partner, prompting moves toward greater strategic autonomy. This undermines traditional alliances and accelerates geopolitical diversification.
– Nuclear Shadow: Aggressive US stances toward nuclear-armed rivals like Russia and China have heightened tensions, bringing the world perilously close to the brink. The Doomsday Clock’s proximity to midnight stands as a grim reminder of these risks.
– Moral Erosion: By abandoning reciprocity and basic decency, the US has squandered the moral authority that once constituted its most potent soft power asset, weakening its capacity to lead on shared global challenges.
Africa’s Perspective: A Call for Respectful Multipolarity
From an African standpoint, the 2025 NSS is particularly troubling. It threatens the hard-won sovereignty, developmental aspirations, and strategic autonomy of African nations. The strategy’s drive for economic dominance perpetuates a colonial-era dynamic where African borders are respected only when convenient for external powers.
Africa seeks partnerships rooted in mutual respect, sovereign equality, and shared rules—not coercion.
The continent’s message is unambiguous: we will not be bullied into reverting to a sphere of influence. We demand a seat at the table in shaping a multipolar world order.
The challenges we face — climate change, pandemics, terrorism, and poverty — are transnational by nature and demand collaborative solutions, which the current NSS categorically rejects.
Conclusion: A Path Forward
For the United States to truly strengthen its security and global standing, it must renounce the doctrine of “power over law” and embrace a pluralistic worldview. Sovereignty is not diminished by adherence to international law and respect for others; it is fortified.
Global challenges demand cooperation, not coercion. The future belongs to nations that recognise the inherent interdependence of our world and work collectively to build a more stable, just, and prosperous community.
Regrettably, the 2025 NSS chooses a path rooted in the past — one that leads to isolation, insecurity, and moral decline.
The time has come for a course correction that prioritises dialogue, diplomacy, and the rule of law. Only then can we aspire to lasting peace and security for all humankind.
Note: The author, David Makora, is a Harare-based international relations observer and political commentator.
