Geostrategic Daily

Foreign Affairs · 3 September 2026

The End of American Sanctuary

The article argues that the U.S. homeland is more vulnerable to attack than ever before, citing threats from China, Russia, and North Korea in conventional, nuclear, space, and cyber domains. It notes that U.S. air and missile defenses are insufficient, and that domestic laws hinder coordination against drone attacks.

Why it matters: This analysis directly addresses the theme of homeland security, emphasizing the erosion of the United States' traditional geographic and military advantages.

geostrategy military basing · great power rivalry

Record

Source
Foreign Affairs (tier 1)
Published
3 September 2026
Link
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/end-american-sanctuary
Content depth
full
Regions
americas, asia-pacific, europe-eurasia-mena
Subregions
us, china, russia
Actors
US, China, Russia, North Korea
Edition
2026-09-04

Grounding

Verbatim spans from the source text that support the summary above.

the U.S. homeland has never been as vulnerable to attack as it is today
The United States lacks sufficient numbers of air defense systems and interceptors to protect against ballistic missiles
Arcane domestic laws and policies prevent the necessary coordination and authority to defend against drone attacks