It was very interesting reading today's document that was published in 2016, now in 2020. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the financial landscape has changed dramatically for a lot of families in the U.S. and around the world. After reading the Department of Treasury's Issue Brief, like @Jay Rosato I wanted to see what the current/recent economic trends in my specialization area of Latin America were like. Latin America has unfortunately been one of the hardest hit regions of the pandemic, which has caused an overall economic decline. According to various statistics including Focus Economics, the pandemic is set to push the region into its deepest recession in modern history. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the region had a projected GDP growth rate of 1.8 percent. Now instead of economic growth, the region will be focusing on economic recovery especially in terms of unemployment and family income. In comparison to almost every region including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia, it is probable that Latin America will have a weaker economic recovery as the regions GDP is only expected to grow 2.7 percent (while most regions are expected grow 3% and above). While many U.S. citizens have expressed immense anger in regards to how the current administration has handled the pandemic, the same reaction has been present in most Latin American countries. Presently, the most severely hit economies have been Peru, Argentina and Mexico.

@Madeline Smith You bring up some great points, ones that I myself noticed while reading the document. I do see a bit of contradiction in terms of the document stating that the administrations goal is to create a safe environment and provide basic human rights for minorities as well as women and youth empowerment. While in some ways, this has been carried out, there has been a clear divide surrounding social issues that concern minorities, especially in the last few months. Again, as you stated there is a continuous fear of condemnation for many minority groups, racially, ethnically, etc. When it comes to carrying out these ideals that are stated in the National Security Strategy, it might be beneficial for the administration to go back and polish how they are carrying out these actions.

@Jay Rosato Great points as well, the feud between Trump and Chancellor Markel is extremely relevant in this decision. It will definitely be interesting to see how this new strategy affects U.S- German relations in the long run. Thanks for the link!

Jay, after reading your post I read another interesting article about Trump's decision to pull troops from Germany which weighed the various effects of this decision, and I came across some interesting perspectives. Heather A. Conley, senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the arctic director of the Europe program at CSIS, gave an insight that stuck out to me personally. She stated that the decision was rushed and although designed to fulfill and implement the goals of the US National Defense Strategy, will cause more harm to all stated objectives. I have also seen a lot of speculation criticizing the U.S.'s claim (or more so Trump's claim) that Germany's has been insufficient in its defense spending being that countries such as Belgium and Italy could be put in the same category. Nevertheless, Germany is a vast country and arguably the most financially equipped in Europe, therefore I could see how the decision to remove troops is being defended as an appropriate way to assure that allies are contributing their faire share or shared caused, as emphasized in the National Security Strategy. https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/31/who-are-the-real-winners-and-losers-in-the-us-troop-withdrawal-from-germany

As stated by fellow members, Pillar II of the National Security Strategy was an interesting one that carried a lot of interesting components. I especially gravitated towards the section on Promoting Free, Fair, and Reciprocal Economic Relationships. Under the current administration, one of the main trade policy's under the agenda has been the re-negotiation of "Outdated and Imbalanced" Trade Agreements, which has led most notably to the withdrawal of the United States from the Transpacific Partnership and the renegotiation of NAFTA agreements. Specifically, the trading relationship between U.S. and Mexico has been especially intriguing to me since the renegotiation of NAFTA agreements and due to the history and close proximity of the two countries. A section that stood out within the Research, Technology, Invention, and Innovation section was Understanding Worldwide Science and Technology Trends. Relevant especially today in the age of a pandemic, this priority action seems to be one that did not fully take. In response to coronavirus trends that began back in January 2019, the U.S. continually lagged. While the current administration is arguably not completely at fault, there was a lack of initiative and fulfillment in terms of improving strategies to retain U.S. advantages.