I think that in the future, this very speech may be considered the point at which it became impossible ignore the cracks in the dam.

I don’t think I’ve seen any world leader so cogently, clearly, pragmatically, and forcefully make the point that the old geopolitical order is genuinely dead and gone, that pretending otherwise is a recipe for disaster, but also that there is still a third option for non-superpowers aside from placation and subservience.