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In 2023, Tim Sweijs wrote “Mind the Middle Powers,” where he argued that middle power countries play as critical of a role in shaping geopolitics and determining the future of international stability as great powers. Two years later, we asked Tim to revisit his argument.Image: Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India via Wikimedia CommonsIn your 2023 article, “Mind the Middle Powers,” you argued that the United States had yet to prove that it could operate effectively in the new reality that middle powers will play a pivotal role in shaping international order. In the last two years, how has the United States demonstrated its willingness and ability to interact with these middle powers for its strategic advantage? The United States has shown it does not shy away from throwing around its weight in its dealings with middle powers around the globe. The Trump administration has deployed an assortment of policies, sometimes bordering on coercion in the political, economic, and military realm, that puts American interests square and central. Always seeking to negotiate from a position of strength, it has occasionally complemented this more muscular approach towards international relations with carrots to strengthen bonds with allies. In Europe, it has compelled governments to drastically spend more on defense, whilst also imposing one-sided trade tariffs of 15 percent on European goods. It has also successfully coaxed European middle powers into joining its Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List initiative to pay for the delivery of U.S.-manufactured military equipment to Ukraine.Sweden and Finland, meanwhile, have joined the U.S.-led transatlantic alliance. In Latin America, the Trump administration has used force against cartels and is embarking on a coercive campaign targeting President Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela. In the Indo-Pacific, it has promoted U.S. economic interests, further strengthening relations with key allies including Japan and South Korea,