As the United Nations General Assembly convened beneath the long shadow of wars in Ukraine and the Gulf, world leaders arrived once again to wrestle with conflicts that have outlasted many of their diplomatic efforts. In Washington, President Trump offered a different kind of statement about power and place — proposing that a civic arch be transformed into a military complex, a gesture that spoke volumes about how this administration understands the relationship between symbol and strategy. The two moments, unfolding simultaneously, illuminate a deepening tension in American foreign policy: th