There is a persistent tension at the heart of American foreign policy today.
On one hand, the instinct behind “America First” is correct. The United States should prioritize its own security, economic strength, and long-term strategic position. It should not blindly subsidize allies, tolerate asymmetric arrangements, or maintain systems that others exploit at its expense.
On the other hand, the way this instinct has often been operationalized drifts toward something far less sustainable: America Alone.
In a world defined by the rise of China, the persistence of Russia, and the increasing complexity of technological and economic systems, the United States cannot effectively operate in isolation. The scale of modern competition—whether military, economic, or technological—simply exceeds what even a superpower can manage independently.
The problem, then, is not the goal of putting America first. The problem is the lack of a coherent system for doing so.
Ironically, one of the clearest blueprints for resolving this tension is not coming from Washington’s foreign policy establishment, but from NASA.
The Artemis Model: Cooperation Without Vulnerability
Through its Artemis program, NASA is building a long-term human presence on the Moon—what is effectively a lunar base and supporting infrastructure. But the most important aspect of this effort is not technological. It is architectural.
The Artemis system is American-led, American-defined, and American-controlled. The United States provides the core infrastructure: launch capabilities, mission architecture, and the foundational systems that make the entire endeavor possible.
At the same time, traditional allies are deeply involved. They contribute modules, components, logistics, and specialized capabilities. Europe, Japan, Canada, and others are not excluded—they are integrated.
But critically, they are integrated into a system designed by the United States.
This creates a structure with three defining characteristics:
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Leadership: The United States sets the rules, standards, and architecture.
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Participation: Allies contribute meaningfully and benefit from inclusion.
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Optionality: The United States retains the ability, if necessary, to operate independently—albeit with some delay or inefficiency.
This is not multilateralism in the traditional sense. It is not a flat system of equals. Nor is it unilateralism.
It is something more sophisticated:
A system of cooperation without dependency.
NASA has, perhaps unintentionally, designed a model that solves one of the most difficult problems in modern geopolitics: how to work with allies without becoming reliant on them.
The Artemis Doctrine
What NASA has built in space can be translated into a broader strategic framework on Earth.
Call it the Artemis Doctrine:
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The United States leads and defines the system
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Allies are integrated, not appeased
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Contributions are modular, not foundational
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Dependence is minimized, but cooperation is maximized
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The U.S. always retains the capacity to stand alone
This is the missing middle ground between two failed approaches:
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A purely multilateral order, where U.S. control is diluted
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A purely unilateral approach, where U.S. power is overextended
The Artemis Doctrine allows the United States to put itself first without isolating itself.
Reimagining NATO
Nowhere is this framework more urgently needed than in NATO.
Today, NATO suffers from a structural imbalance. The United States provides a disproportionate share of military capability, funding, and strategic direction, while many European allies underinvest. This creates resentment in the U.S. and complacency abroad.
The response from “America First” advocates has often been to question NATO’s value entirely—to threaten withdrawal or reduce commitments.
But this is the wrong move.
An Artemis-style NATO would look different.
The United States would remain the central military backbone and command structure, but the alliance would be reconfigured so that:
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Allies plug into a U.S.-designed defense architecture
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Contributions are clearly defined, measurable, and enforceable
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Capabilities are modular, allowing flexibility and redundancy
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The U.S. retains the ability to act independently if necessary
In other words, NATO would become less of a collective of loosely aligned states and more of a system anchored by American leadership.
This would address both sides of the current tension:
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It preserves alliances
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It restores American leverage and control
Rebuilding the Global Economic Order
The same logic applies to the global economy.
The post-World War II economic system—built by the United States—was remarkably successful. It expanded trade, lifted billions out of poverty, and cemented American leadership.
But it was built for a different era.
Today, that system is increasingly strained:
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China exploits open markets while restricting its own
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Supply chains are fragile and geopolitically exposed
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Domestic political support for globalization has eroded
The choice is often framed as a binary:
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Continue globalization as-is
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Or retreat into protectionism
The Artemis model offers a third path.
Instead of abandoning the global system, the United States should re-architect it:
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Center critical supply chains within a network of trusted allies
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Build economic systems that are interoperable but not easily exploited
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Allow participation, but on terms defined by the United States
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Ensure redundancy so that the U.S. can operate independently if required
This is not deglobalization.
It is:
Structured interdependence under American leadership.
A New Approach to Diplomacy
Diplomacy, too, must evolve.
Recent decades have oscillated between two models:
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Broad multilateralism, which often dilutes effectiveness
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Transactional bilateralism, which lacks stability
Neither is sufficient for the challenges ahead.
The United States should instead build networked systems of cooperation, anchored in American standards and institutions.
This includes:
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Technology ecosystems (AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity)
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Defense-industrial collaboration
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Space governance and exploration
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Financial and regulatory frameworks
The goal is not simply to form alliances, but to create systems that others choose to join—because participation is beneficial, but leadership remains American.
Trump’s Insight—and Its Limitation
To understand why this shift is necessary, it is important to acknowledge something often missed in the debate.
The core instincts behind “America First” were not wrong.
They identified real problems:
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Unequal burden-sharing
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Exploitation of open systems
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The rise of strategic competitors like China
But what was missing was a replacement system.
Dismantling or weakening existing structures without a clear alternative risks leaving the United States isolated in a world where scale and coordination matter more than ever.
The Artemis Doctrine provides that missing framework.
It channels the valid concerns of “America First” into a strategy that is not only assertive, but sustainable.
The Strategic Reality: China and Russia
The urgency of this shift cannot be overstated.
China is already building its own version of a global system:
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Through infrastructure (Belt and Road)
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Through technology ecosystems
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Through parallel institutions
Russia, meanwhile, thrives in fragmentation. It benefits when alliances weaken and coordination breaks down.
The United States faces a world where:
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Competition is systemic
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Power is networked
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Isolation is a strategic disadvantage
To meet this moment, the U.S. must do more than defend the old order or abandon it.
It must redesign it.
Conclusion: Leadership in the 21st Century
On the Moon, NASA is building more than a base. It is building a system—one that reflects a deep understanding of how to balance leadership, cooperation, and control.
Washington would do well to take note.
The future of American power will not be determined by whether it chooses between independence and alliance. It will be determined by whether it can design systems that combine both.
Because in the 21st century:
The strongest nations will not be those that go it alone,
but those that build systems others depend on—while remaining able to stand on their own.
And in that sense, the path forward for American leadership may already be written—not in policy papers or political speeches, but in the architecture of a base being built on the Moon.
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