Vice President JD Vance's barn burner of a speech at the Munich Security Conference last Friday is one for the history books. Vance took a blowtorch to delicate European sensitivities when he lambasted European elites' serial censorship of free speech, their unpopular mass importation of foreigners from third-world Islamic cultures, and much more. The speech was so blistering that, in response, one high-ranking German official broke down in literal tears from the lectern. Yes, that really happened.

Vance's speech will be remembered as a landmark moment in the evolution and maturation of "America First"—a foreign policy approach in which the United States seeks to ally primarily, if not exclusively, with nations that are generally self-sufficient and proficient at patrolling and securing their own regions. As my Edmund Burke Foundation colleague Yoram Hazony put it yesterday on X (albeit in a slightly different context), MAGA "wants to see America's allies become genuine, active partners in world affairs, instead of keeping them pinned down forever as mere dependencies and protectorates of the US."

Indeed, that is the very crux of a Trumpian MAGA/"America First" foreign policy worldview. It is not "America First" to exert hegemonic control abroad in quasi-imperial fashion. But it is also not "America First" to simply curl up into a proverbial fetal position and wish all our problems would go away. America has real interests in the world—interests that we are not necessarily capable of securing ourselves in each and every theater. The goal, then, is to work closely with powerful allies in various regions who do share our interests—and who can generally patrol their own neck of the woods without Uncle Sam's intrusive meddling.

That, in short, is how you got the Abraham Accords alliance in the Middle East. It's how you got early-second term White House visits from the heads of state of both Japan and India—core allies in the Indo-Pacific who share our preeminent geopolitical goal of containing and rolling back Communist China. But how does Europe fit into the puzzle? It's not entirely clear—especially given the differing national interest calculations we've seen unfold when it comes to winding down the Russia-Ukraine war.

In recent years, European elites have been sent no shortage of messages. We have seen the rise of nationalist-populist parties all across Britain and the European Continent for a decade or two now. So the question remains: Will European elites ever get the message? If JD Vance at least helps prod them in that direction, he will have done a tremendous public service—for both the people of Europe and the United States itself.

To keep up with everything I'm doing, follow me on Twitter/X, Instagram, and Facebook. You can listen to all episodes of "The Josh Hammer Show" at the Newsweek website or on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts—as well as on select radio stations across the country. I also have a second podcast, "America on Trial with Josh Hammer," with The First; you can listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Finally, make sure to preorder my debut book, Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West, which will be released March 18 from Diversion Books/Radius Book Group! It would mean the world to me if you would preorder a copy today.

Our highlighted recent Newsweek op-eds include selections from Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Rep. Carol Miller (R- W. Va.), Gordon G. Chang, and Ted Deutch.

Have a great rest of your week, everyone. We'll be right back in your inbox next week.