Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. New attacks hit three commercial ships in the Gulf on March 11, with one of the vessels in flames as Iran pressed its campaign against its oil-exporting neighbours, threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and plunging the global energy economy into crisis. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
President Trump—and the U.S.—faces three immediate tests that will profoundly effect our security and that of the rest of the Free World.
The three big tests are well known: Iran, Ukraine and Taiwan. China, despite its economic woes and occasional setbacks, is intent on replacing the U.S. as the world’s dominant power. It is relentlessly building its military and attempting to expand its influence around the globe.
Russia is determined to control Ukraine and break NATO, the core of our post-World War II security system. This would return us to the kind of national rivalries in Europe that led to two world wars.
Iran’s terrorist, imperialist regime believes survival in the current war would be a victory, enabling it to have veto power over the crucial Strait of Hormuz and to eventually become the dominant power in the Middle East again, while murderously spreading its diabolical religious fanaticism everywhere.
The policy implications of these tests are clear. However, that doesn’t guarantee the U.S. will pursue them with patience and determination.
Negotiations with the mullahs is a fool’s game. These fanatics won’t abandon their fantastical ambitions, no matter what they promise. Anything less than the ultimate destruction of the malignant mullahs’ government would be a disastrous setback, showing our adversaries—and friends—that the U.S. no longer has the stamina and sense of purpose to be the leader and enforcer of a benign world order.
President Trump must authoritatively address the nation—from behind his desk in the Oval Office—regarding the stakes involved. This would put the temporary rise in gas prices and the inevitable surprises that arise during warfare into context.
A bad settlement in Ukraine would be a profound setback for the Free World. Vladimir Putin senses that the White House regards this war as a distraction, a nuisance standing in the way of lucrative commercial and energy deals. He thinks the Trump Administration has no grasp of the strategic importance of the Ukraine war’s outcome and, therefore, Washington will soon be strongly urging Kyiv to give in to the Kremlin on key issues.
Despite insufficient help from the U.S. and certain European countries, Ukraine has lately achieved remarkable battlefield successes against Russia. It has also been inflicting genuine damage on Russia’s energy infrastructure—Moscow’s principal source of income is oil—and certain defense factories. Give Kyiv the tools in sufficient quantity and it will do the job.
President Trump will be meeting with Xi Jinping in May. China’s strongman believes Trump isn’t willing to defend Taiwan if it is attacked. Such an assault need not be an invasion but rather a blockade that could only be broken by military force. So Xi will try to change traditional U.S. language regarding the status of Taiwan to signal that the island nation’s days of self-rule are coming to an end and that other nations had better get on the good side of Beijing.
That would be an unmitigated disaster for us and the Free World. President Trump must be unambiguous about Taiwan: No forcible change will be tolerated.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2026/03/31/us-must-pass-three-critical-tests-to-safeguard-national-security/
