the world after American purpose

For the first time since World War II, the United States passed through an entire year without its president once articulating the protection of democracy or freedom as a central objective of American foreign policy. This was not a rhetorical oversight; it was a structural shift. In 2025, American power became explicitly transactional, alliances became conditional, and values became optional. The result was not isolationism but abdication, a withdrawal from normative leadership even as military and economic engagement continued.