It’s the Politics, Stupid: US Public and Elite Opinion on Defending Taiwan

U.S., Japanese and Australian forces conduct trilateral military drilling exercises in the South China Sea. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy Analyzing the political trends makes one thing clear: if the United States chooses not to forcefully defend Taiwan, public or elite opinion won’t be the culprits standing in the way. The Status Quo: Strategic Ambiguity Joe … Continue reading It’s the Politics, Stupid: US Public and Elite Opinion on Defending Taiwan

To Succeed at “Strategic Competition,” Invest in Strategic Communications

Photo Credit: Mel Gurtov, “Testing Time for US-China Relations,” China-United States Exchange Foundation, May 4, 2020. “Just as water’s flow avoids the high ground and rushes to the low, so, too, the victor avoids the enemy’s strong points and strikes where he is weak”— Sun Tzu[i] Recently, the White House reframed its relationship with China … Continue reading To Succeed at “Strategic Competition,” Invest in Strategic Communications

Growth of Space and Lunar Stations: Promise Amidst Geopolitical Risk

June 2021: Chinese astronauts prepare for a mission to China's space station. Photo Credit: New York Times The April launch of the core module of China’s new space station has marked the start of a new era of sustained human presence in space.[i] Over the next decade, countries and corporations are planning to deploy a … Continue reading Growth of Space and Lunar Stations: Promise Amidst Geopolitical Risk

The Dragon Descends Southwards: Chinese Foreign Policy in Latin America Warrants a U.S. Response

Former Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper Visits U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, FL in January 2020. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Defense, Army Staff Sgt. Nicole Mejia This piece is co-authored by Center for Strategic and International Studies Americas Program Senior Fellow, Dr. Ryan C. Berg, and SSP student, Allison Schwartz. In his … Continue reading The Dragon Descends Southwards: Chinese Foreign Policy in Latin America Warrants a U.S. Response

Chinese Authoritarianism Spreads as Xi Jinping Grows More Confident

China has been more aggressive in promoting its form of authoritarianism. How should the United States respond? Photo credit: Christian Lue/Unsplash China met with the United States for the first time during the Biden administration on March 18 in Anchorage, Alaska. By all accounts, it was set to be a normal affair between the two … Continue reading Chinese Authoritarianism Spreads as Xi Jinping Grows More Confident

China: Myanmar Is Not Libya

Photo Credit: Reuters. Myanmar's ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, urges action against the military coup at the end of his speech to the General Assembly. Myanmar’s coup earlier this year showcased the fragility of democracy and how quickly things can change for the worse. The United States rightly condemned the coup and imposed … Continue reading China: Myanmar Is Not Libya

India needs Planes, Waivers, and A Little Bit of Patience

Photo Credit: Boeing The Border Clash On June 15th, 2020, Chinese and Indian forces clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) resulting in the deaths of twenty Indian soldiers and at least six members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).[1] This clash, the first border incident between the two nuclear armed powers to lead … Continue reading India needs Planes, Waivers, and A Little Bit of Patience

Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies

North Korea launches a short-range missile, July 26, 2019. Photo Credit: BBC The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) have established a relationship that serves both of their security strategies. Their cooperation is a functional means to withstand their mutual economic isolation as well as a threatening move against their … Continue reading Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies

A Crime to Want Something Different

Sukarno and other leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement. Photo Credit: ResearchGate The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade & The Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World (2020) By Vincent BevinsPublicAffairs, 307 pp., $28.00 As Vincent Bevins points out in his vital and timely new book, The Jakarta Method, it is the winners who write history. … Continue reading A Crime to Want Something Different

Lest We Forget the Uyghurs

Photo Credit: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters The Chinese Communist Party since 2017 has committed genocide against its Uyghur Muslim citizens in East Turkestan (Xinjiang province). The United States should officially designate this as a genocide and spearhead an international pressure campaign against the Chinese government. With an official designation of genocide, the United States will be able … Continue reading Lest We Forget the Uyghurs