America’s Indo-Pacific Alliances Are Astonishingly Strong

A widespread criticism of the Trump administration’s foreign policy is that it wrecked—or at least severely undermined—the United States’ power and standing in the world, particularly by alienating long-standing allies and partners. Besides his public disdain for NATO, then-U.S. President Donald Trump questioned aloud why the United States maintained a security alliance with Japan, pressed South Korea to pay five-fold more to house U.S. troops, and approved of then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to terminate a visiting forces agreement with the U.S. military.