Driven by fears of Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and its Indo-Pacific allies and partners are racing to “Trump-proof” a series of defense initiatives before the year-end in a bid to make any rollback a difficult proposition.
Efforts to institutionalize the numerous bilateral and multilateral tie-ups clinched by Trump’s election rival over the last 3½ years are already in full swing, with nervous allies welcoming deepened ties with open arms amid an increasingly fraught international security environment.
The examples are widespread.