Three Alternative Approaches to Deterrence in Europe and the Indo-Pacific

By Luis Simón

19.6.2025

War on the Rocks

Whether the United States defines China as a global threat or a predominantly regional one will have pervasive implications for US alliance and deterrence strategy in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. The second Trump and Biden administrations agree on a key fact: China constitutes the most serious and systemic challenge to US power and interests. Yet, they seem to disagree on how to characterise the nature and scale of that challenge. Whereas the Biden administration construed China as a global challenge, the Trump administration regularly emphasises the centrality of the China threat in the Indo-Pacific.

Read

__________