Caption
A US flag flies off the stern of a tour boat at the Port of Los Angele in California on July 31, 2025. (Getty Images)
Security Alliances
Security Alliances
Caption
US and Korean soldiers prepare for take off during an air assault mission as part of exercise Freedom Shield 24 on March 13, 2024, at Wonju Air Base in South Korea. (US Army Photo by KPfc. Lee Hyun Bin)
Caption
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference on January 4, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by the Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Caption
(What Really Matters logo)
Caption
President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during Taiwan National Day on October 10, 2023, in Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)
Caption
A screen displays a portrait of re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin following the announcement of the official results in the three-day presidential election at Russia's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in Moscow on March 21, 2024. (Stringer via Getty Images)
Caption
A Swedish CB90-class fast assault craft approaches the well deck of the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall during exercise Steadfast Defender 24 on March 6, 2024, in the Norwegian Sea. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Danielle Serocki)
Caption
Ukrainian soldiers on a BWP infantry fighting vehicle prepare for combat near of Lyman, Ukraine, on March 17, 2024. (Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Caption
(What Really Matters logo)
Caption
John P. Walters and Taiwanese President-elect William Lai in Taipei, Taiwan.
Caption
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting at Arambagh, West Bengal, India, on March 1, 2024. (Dipa Chakraborty via Getty Images)
Caption
(What Really Matters logo)
Caption
Ukrainian soldiers fire the L119 artillery in the direction of Marinka, Ukraine, on February 23, 2024. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Experts
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Taro Hayashi
Japan Chair Fellow (Nonresident)
H.R. McMaster
Chair of the Advisory Board, Japan Chair
Masashi Murano
Senior Fellow, Japan Chair
