Winter and Gedan with Am. Quart.
A default would be more painful - and politically costly - than in years past.
Daniel Russel et al, ChinaFile
As the COVID-19 outbreak began its devastating spread earlier this year, Taiwan, whose public health measures to contain the virus had been among the most effective in the world, launched a campaign to highlight its success. #TaiwanCanHelp—as the effort appeared on social media—was a subtler version of Beijing’s “facemask diplomacy,” but it was also, implicitly, a plea for international recognition and support.
Joseph Cirincione, FSJ
The Cold War is over, but the weapons remain. After decades of progress in reducing nuclear arsenals and nuclear threats, the global nuclear security enterprise is close to collapse. Urgent action is needed to save it, including building support for nuclear restraint among both government officials and the American public.
Peter Van Buren, TAC
Part self-inflicted, part a victim of circumstance, the once critical agency is now more like an expensive vestigial limb.
Steven Lee Myers & Chris Buckley, NYT
China’s leader is using the country’s success — and the criticism against it — to urge the party and the people to weather tough days ahead.
Tom Mitchell, Financial Times
President faces scrutiny over early management of the pandemic as Beijing contemplates resetting economic targets
Lili Bayer et al, Politico EU
Not everyone is climbing aboard the Franco-German love train.
Jamil Anderlini, Financial Times
Beijing’s image at home has been helped by the disastrous response in the US and UK
Brad Glosserman, Japan Times
Among China hawks in the United States, it seems that the greatest national security threat is posed by the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, eclipsing even that of the People’s Liberation Army. That threat has prompted the Trump administration to tighten the screws on Huawei, first restricting its access to the U.S. market, then pressing allies to do the same, then cutting off the company’s access to U.S. suppliers, and then again urging allied governments... Читать дальше...
Keith Johnson, FP
In a striking reversal, Merkel joins with France in recommending a euro fund that could be a timid first step toward greater integration.
James Forsyth, Spectator
The gulf between the UK and the EU is growing.
Andrew Ehrhardt & Maeve Ryan, War on the Rocks
Is grand strategy too “grand” to be good? Criticisms of the concept are not new, but in recent months, several articles have sounded the death knell. Particularly concerning is that the diagnosis comes from the United States and the United Kingdom — countries with overlapping strategic cultures and where grand strategy has, to varying degrees, succeeded in the past. Far from a wasteful or futile undertaking, however, the practice of grand strategy is a worthwhile endeavor. Читать дальше...
Jan Czarnocki, Martens Centre
We should not be worried about the emergence of China as a superpower, wielding influence and power at a comparable level to the United States. China’s geography will not allow it. Instead, we should be worried about China as a globally influential superpower, less powerful than the US, but still dominating East Asia, building a global bloc of like-minded, authoritarian countries, rivalling the rules-based international order and undermining democratic standards around the world. Читать дальше...
Carl Bildt, Project Syndicate
In 2003, the world contained the SARS epidemic to Southeast Asia and ended the crisis by that July. Based on the limited information currently available, four factors help to explain the difference between then and now.
Joseph Hammond, The Diplomat
Beijing doesn’t recognize Pristina, making the small state a relatively China-free spot in Europe.
Aidan Yao, SCMP
Patrick Cronin, The Hill
The acceleration of U.S.-China rivalry is failing to produce an intelligent consensus over an effective response. Extreme voices drown out sensible views that reflect America’s better angels. Too many accomplished people engage in loud, petty and polarized debate when they should be working together to renew American leadership at home and abroad.
Economist
Germany is making a big concession to support weaker states.
Ronja Scheler & Joshua Webb, Berlin Policy Journal
German public opinion on foreign affairs hasn’t changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the trends point to a weakening commitment to both European integration and the transatlantic alliance.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy , New York Times
Ukraine’s president looks back at what got him through his first year in office.
