Middle Powers Forge New Alliances Amid Trump’s Foreign Policy Shift

Global Alliances Shift Away From US Dominance

Countries across the globe are creating complex webs of diplomatic, military, and trading alliances to shield themselves from an unpredictable US presidency, a trend described by British foreign policy adviser John Bew as the creation of “a sub-threshold international order.” According to Mark Leonard, director of the European Council of Foreign Relations, nations are shifting away from interoperability with American grand strategy toward defensive hedging. Major international groupings where the US does not feature, such as Brics and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), are thriving. At a recent Brics summit in Delhi, member states centered a 140-paragraph declaration on insulating economies and payment infrastructures from weaponized western financial networks, aiming to construct a non-dollar pipeline for strategic commodities like oil, gas, and critical minerals without turning into an explicitly anti-American alliance, as explained by Indian commentator Navroop Singh.

Middle East Security Architecture Rewritten by Mecca Pact

The Middle East security landscape underwent a major shift on August 7, when Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca pact, a defensive military alliance aimed at reducing dependency on the US military umbrella and countering regional threats. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft noted that Gulf Cooperation Council countries feel tremendously vulnerable after putting their security in an American basket that failed to act as a deterrent. Following Iranian missile and drone pummelling of exposed bases—which Gen. David Petraeus described as no longer viable—and an Israeli strike in Doha on September 9, 2025, targeting Hamas leaders, Gulf states reassessed their security calculations. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, stated that Gulf nations cannot rely solely on the US and that self-sufficiency is the only way forward.

European Defense and Canada Navigate Asymmetric Trade Pressures

European democracies facing hybrid warfare from Moscow and potential abandonment by Washington are rapidly increasing defense spending and pushing for a Europeanised NATO that bypasses Brexit friction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is driving countries to form new hedging alliances?

Nations are forming ad hoc alliances out of fear of entrapment or abandonment by an unpredictable US administration, seeking to insulate their economies, supply lines, and security structures from American policy shifts.

What was the Mecca pact?

Signed on August 7, the Mecca pact is a defensive military alliance between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia designed to reduce regional dependency on the US military umbrella and address changing security calculations in the Middle East.

How are European nations responding to defense concerns?

European powers, particularly in Poland, the Baltics, and Scandinavia, have significantly increased defense spending and are exploring closer military cooperation among key European states to counter Russian threats independently of the US.

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