Recent reports highlight shifting security dynamics among key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea amid concerns about the reliability of American security guarantees. These concerns have intensified due to President Donald Trump's confrontational approach toward allies, including public criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, skepticism toward NATO, and the imposition of tariffs on Japan and South Korea. As a result, Tokyo and Seoul are reconsidering their longstanding non-nuclear policies. Closed-door discussions between the U.S. and Japan have explored potential Japanese support for U.S. nuclear operations, including surveillance, counter-strike missiles, and emergency coordination. This marks a departure from Japan's 1967 pledge not to develop, possess, or host nuclear weapons. The evolving stance reflects a broader erosion of faith in Washington's commitment to its allies' security in the Indo-Pacific region. Separately, Edward Luce's new book "Zbig" examines former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski's influential role in opening U.S.-China relations and shaping the post–Cold War world, as reviewed by Tom Donilon. Additionally, Michael Froman advocates for a new global economic system based on coalitions of like-minded countries, acknowledging irreversible damage to the old global trading order. Meanwhile, columnist Thomas Friedman notes that President Trump shows little solidarity with the trans-Atlantic alliance's shared values of democracy, free markets, human rights, and the rule of law.