Will Trump's security doctrine push Japan, South Korea, and Poland toward nuclear weapons?
The Pentagon's 2025 strategy tells allies to handle their own defense. For three countries living under nuclear-armed adversaries, this creates a calculation that diplomatic frameworks may be too slow to constrain.
Britain's gulf withdrawal reveals which democracies will abandon middle east security despite Iran escalation
Britain leaves the Gulf: Which US allies will follow?
After 46 years of continuous Royal Navy presence, Britain's last warship has departed Bahrain—just as Iran escalates. The withdrawal reveals which American allies treat security commitments as optional expenses and which see them as existential necessities.
Why China views venezuela's survival as proof that Taiwan reunification is worth any cost
Why Venezuela's collapse emboldens rather than deters China on Taiwan
Beijing watched Venezuela's economy contract 88% under Western sanctions—and concluded that authoritarian regimes can survive isolation. The lesson China learned is not the one the West intended to teach.
Trajectory Daily Brief: 24 January 2026
Japan builds hypersonic missiles while China deploys zero warships to America's backyard—yet US debates resource allocation as Taiwan bleeds spies.
Japan's hypersonic weapons compress China's decision timeline from hours to minutes, creating the crisis instability both sides claim to prevent
Japan's hypersonic missiles blur the line between defense and attack
Tokyo's new weapons can strike Chinese bases within minutes. Officials call them defensive. Beijing sees a sword dressed as a shield. The distinction may determine whether Asia's next crisis stays contained or spirals into catastrophe.
Does Chinese penetration of Taiwan's military make US intelligence sharing a net liability?
China has penetrated Taiwan's military. Does that make US intelligence sharing dangerous?
Taiwan charged 64 people with espionage in 2024, most of them military personnel. As Washington deepens intelligence cooperation with Taipei, every secret shared risks reaching Beijing. The question is whether the deterrent value exceeds the counterintelligence cost.
Trajectory Daily Brief: 23 January 2026
China builds no warships in America's backyard while Gulf allies with US bases lobby against Iran strikes. Australia hosts American targets it can't defend.
