US Opinion and Commentary

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Does China Need More Friends in Asia?

Posted March 21st, 2016 at 12:46 pm (UTC-4)
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There could come a threshold beyond which the intersection of allied doubts and growing Chinese heft could compel China’s neighbors to “choose” China over the United States as their most consequential long-term partner—less out of strategic preference than of perceived imperatives.

The U.S. Is Heading Toward a Dangerous Showdown with China

Posted March 17th, 2016 at 12:04 pm (UTC-4)
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What makes this dispute so explosive is that it pits an American president who needs to affirm his credibility as a strong leader against a risk-taking Chinese president who has shown disregard for U.S. military power and who faces potent political enemies at home.

The Trump Effect on China

Posted March 3rd, 2016 at 12:34 pm (UTC-4)
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Nationalism through populism can be transformed into xenophobia – as we know so well from bitter experiences in Europe and see currently in the United States with Trump. If the Chinese believe that they are being thwarted from getting their due place in the global sun, popular anger may boil over.

A Stern Message to North Korea

Posted March 3rd, 2016 at 12:19 pm (UTC-4)
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No matter how tough on paper, the sanctions will be effective only if they are enforced. There are good reasons to doubt that every country will follow through. The burden falls heavily on China, the North’s chief ally in providing food, fuel and political cover.

China’s Self-Defeating Provocations in the South China Sea

Posted March 3rd, 2016 at 11:59 am (UTC-4)
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By its small-scale tactical military deployments on indefensible islands in the South China Sea, China is antagonizing all the other littoral countries, which are … turning to the United States and Japan … to increase military cooperation and to request additional security assistance

How It Looks From Afar

Posted February 29th, 2016 at 3:33 pm (UTC-4)
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A crucial part of the job of President of the United States is steering relations with allies and enemies alike. American foreign policy, diplomacy, military action and much more all depend on perceptions. President Barack Obama was hailed as decisive and bold in 2011 when he signed off on a risky, and ultimately successful, covert operation to take out America’s most wanted man, Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, who was living in plain view in Pakistan. Five years later, Obama is taken to task by some, including current 2016 presidential hopefuls, for refusing to deploy a full-scale military effort to stop Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Which raises a question: how is the rise of the most unorthodox presidential hopeful ever, billionaire and reality television star Donald J. Trump, playing across the pond?

How to Oppose China’s Bid for Maritime Dominance

Posted February 26th, 2016 at 4:18 pm (UTC-4)
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In this deteriorating situation…a more consistent, robust set of American responses is essential….Deploy American Coast Guard cutters to the western Pacific…Expand cooperation with regional states…Impose explicit costs on Chinese aggressive behavior

Navigating the Road Ahead

Posted February 24th, 2016 at 3:33 pm (UTC-4)
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It has become a campaign staple to trash President Barack Obama’s foreign policy initiatives from Iraq, Cuba to Russia. American presidential hopefuls have the luxury of hindsight without the responsibility of Syria, Afghanistan, China and many other global concerns resting on their shoulders. But by this time next year, someone else will be making the tough calls from the Oval Office. It’s ironic that Obama won his first term with a pledge to end the seemingly endless, and deeply unpopular, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he did fulfill those promises. However, by the time these policies were in place, the world seemed to have moved on to new crises, including the emergence of Islamic State out of the ashes of Iraq and the violent turmoil in Syria. All of this—and—more awaits the next President of the United States.

China’s Increasingly Muffled Press

Posted February 24th, 2016 at 11:11 am (UTC-4)
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The Chinese media have never had much freedom to pursue muckraking stories, or even to dutifully report the facts. Now, President Xi Jinping is going to extraordinary lengths to rein the press in even further.

The Exotic New Weapons the Pentagon Wants to Deter Russia and China

Posted February 24th, 2016 at 10:49 am (UTC-4)
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Pentagon officials have started talking openly about using the latest tools of artificial intelligence and machine learning to create robot weapons, “human-machine teams” and enhanced, super-powered soldiers….Pentagon officials say they have concluded that such high-tech systems are the best way to combat rapid improvements by the Russian and Chinese militaries.

Why Brexit is Unpatriotic

Posted February 22nd, 2016 at 2:55 pm (UTC-4)
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Though their leaders certainly have work to do – for example, building more efficient and credible institutions – the EU remains a source of inspiration for others, from the refugees fleeing war and misery to the Chinese, who have constructed European-style cities.

China’s Missile Provocation

Posted February 18th, 2016 at 10:14 am (UTC-4)
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Beijing’s purpose is to box out rival claims from other countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia….China risks destabilizing the region by seeking to impose its will rather than reconciling the competing claims.

Obama Can Make His Asia Pivot Endure

Posted February 16th, 2016 at 4:01 pm (UTC-4)
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Only steady, consistent engagement can overcome doubts about U.S. staying power. After some early stumbles, Obama has set a good precedent by committing the U.S. to several regional meetings, which should forge stronger bonds well into the future.

America’s Military is Getting Deadly Serious about China, Russia, and North Korea

Posted February 10th, 2016 at 2:39 pm (UTC-4)
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The Third Offset Strategy is about retaining America’s lead in military power in the face of potential challenges by Russia, China, North Korea and others. The strategy takes aim at enemy vulnerabilities and weak spots with plans to exploit them in wartime.

Impose Sanctions on North Korea’s Enablers

Posted February 8th, 2016 at 10:13 am (UTC-4)
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Some North Korea watchers assert that Beijing doesn’t have the leverage that many U.S. officials contend it has over Pyongyang’s behavior. But that’s simply not true….What is true, however, is that at present China lacks the political will to stand with the international community against North Korea’s dangerous, destabilizing activities.