On What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead discusses President Trump’s call with Putin, Israel’s attacks in Gaza, America’s attacks on the Houthis, and how the Sino-Russian-Iranian bloc is measuring up against what’s left of the United States-led alliance system.
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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi inspect a guard of honor on October 29, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Getty Images)