Russia and China could become more aggressive over the next two years if they conclude that President Donald Trump is politically weakened and on "his way out" after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, Brookings Institution senior fellow Robert Kagan told CNBC.
Speaking on "Squawk Box Asia," Kagan said the war with Iran had also exposed how Washington has "proved itself rather incapable militarily" in terms of capacity, which would be critical in Asia.
"Everybody can see how much our stocks are depleted in terms of interceptors and missiles, which are of vital interest in the Asian theater," he said.
Congressional Budget Office reports have estimated that the conflict depleted as much as two-thirds of U.S. missile-defense interceptors since June 2025, largely because of efforts to defend Israel against Iranian attacks. This could leave the U.S. with constrained inventories for several years.
Kagan said the deployment of three U.S. aircraft carriers to the Middle East had reduced the U.S. naval presence available in Asia, potentially giving China more room to act assertively in the region.