In other parts of the world, military force continues to be the dominant instrument of inter-state engagement. The state of NATO today and the tensions in trans-Atlantic ties underline how military power remains central to alliance politics as collective defence commitments continue to structure global alignments. But the persistence of armed conflict and strategic rivalry underlined the centrality of military power as a tool of coercion as well as a foundation for deterrence. Today, military power is rarely exercised in isolation; it is increasingly embedded within a broader toolkit of statecraft. Even as global institutions and legal frameworks have expanded in their ambition to regulate or restrain violence, force continues to function as a decisive instrument of statecraft.

Source: The Telegraph December 30, 2025 02:28 UTC