Editing Openai/6935aaed-f35c-8004-8137-e0b2dcf25c84 (section)

===== 2. Regional Roles in the Emerging Configuration =====

====== United States ======
* Continues to anchor the dollar-based financial system and much of the global security architecture.
* Domestic political volatility introduces greater uncertainty about long-term policy continuity and international commitments.

====== Europe ======
* Bears a disproportionate share of the immediate costs and risks of the Ukraine conflict: - Defense support, - Energy restructuring, - Refugees and reconstruction planning.
* Is consolidating its role as a regulatory and climate policy center.
* Internal political and structural challenges may limit its capacity to act as a stable, global “coordination hub” beyond its region.

====== Japan / East Asia Shield ======
* Hosts critical segments of semiconductor production, advanced components, and complex manufacturing.
* Is repositioning as an economic-security hub, coordinating on supply-chain resilience with the US, Europe, and regional partners.
* Many global value chains rely on this region in ways that are hard to substitute in the short to medium term.

In this configuration, Japan / East Asia Shield functions increasingly as the “operational backbone”:
if this region is significantly disrupted, a large portion of world trade and production is affected.