The latest National Security Strategy marks a sharp departure from long-standing assumptions. For decades, shared values served as the glue holding American alliances together. That framework is being openly discarded now. What's replacing it? A more transactional approach, where strategic interests trump ideological alignment. This shift signals a broader recalibration in how global partnerships operate—less about common principles, more about immediate gains. Whether this pragmatism strengthens or fractures existing coalitions remains uncertain, but the old playbook is clearly being rewritten.