Sarah White, RealClearWorld
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 19, a conversation she described as very friendly and warm, and one that seemed to promise meaningful U.S. action on Belarus in the near future.
Joseph Nye, Project Syndicate
During the Cold War, US grand strategy focused on containing the power of the Soviet Union. China's rise now requires America and its allies to develop a strategy that seeks not total victory over an existential threat, but rather managed competition that allows for both cooperation and rivalry within a rules-based system.
Nasr & Fantappie, FA
The Promise of Diplomacy as the United States Withdraws
Lili Bayer & Zosia Wanat, Politico EU
Years of clashes that pit EU institutions and many member countries against Poland and Hungary have grown even more severe in recent months. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government has faced widespread condemnation over anti-LGBTQ+ legislation while Polish authorities have effectively declared they don't accept...
Christian Odendahl, CER
As the floods in Germany change the dynamics of the race, the CDU could win the most votes yet end up in opposition. In that case, the chancellor could be the SPD's Olaf Scholz.
Gordon Chang, 1945
The Delta variant is spreading across the country fast, and Beijing has no answer to the new strain other than draconian, totalitarian brute-force measures—and blaming foreigners.
Richard Weitz, Jamestown
The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pursuing various hypersonic delivery systems to augment its already impressive arsenal of precision strike capabilities. Hypersonic missiles are emerging as a highly valued weapon system for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and other advanced militaries due to their unique combination of attributes, which include: 1) sustained high speed (by definition flying at least five times the speed of sound after separation from launcher); 2) increased maneuverability... Читать дальше...
Edward Lucas, CEPA
Such clarity on China is absent. My heart yearns for a Soviet-style collapse, involving the toppling of the Chinese Communist Party and independence for Tibet and East Turkestan (which is called Xinjiang, or New Frontier, in Chinese). But Xi Jinping's leadership bears no comparison with the Soviet Union in its dotage. And regime change in China typically involves tens of millions of dead. Would we avoid that? And how would we make it happen? We squeezed the Soviet Union... Читать дальше...
James Kynge, FT
Crackdown on after school tutoring reflects Xi's effort to alleviate pressure on family life
Hoodfar & Tajali, Conv.
The Taliban insurgents continue their deadly war to seize control of Afghanistan after the departure of United States and NATO forces. As they close in on major cities that were once government strongholds, like Badakhshan and Kandahar, many Afghans - and the world - fear a total takeover.
Henry Storey, Lowy Interpreter
Afghanistan is not reputed to be the "graveyard of empires" without reason.
Stephen King, Evening Standard
ou might remember a time when markets seemed to work rather well. "Shortages" — as in empty shelves and lengthy order backlogs — were rare because Adam Smith's "invisible hand"— in modern day terminology, the price mechanism — did its job. The great Scottish economist was primarily interested in how individual, possibly self-serving, behaviour would "advance the interest of the society, and afford means to the...
Andrei Lankov, National Interest
In other words, South Korea might have money and tools which are necessary for a middle power, but its society still lacks global vision and the sense of the global responsibilities. Most of the country's global undertakings and initiatives are likely to remain decorative and symbolic. South Koreans nowadays like to fancy themselves as a middle power with global reach, but the South Korean voters and taxpayers are still reluctant to see significant resources... Читать дальше...
Dalibor Rohac, Newsweek
At the beginning of his presidency, Joe Biden vowed to "repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's." Six months into his term, is America really back, as the president is fond of...
Aristyo Rizka Darmawan, EAForum
The South China Sea became an important highlight of the recent
Rym Momtaz, Politico EU
PARIS — Good news for the Franco-British relationship: The two sides agree on something! The bad news: They agree their relationship is in a terrible state.
Andrea Moncada, Am. Quarterly
With his Cabinet appointments, Peru's new president may have planted the seeds of his own failure.
Robinet-Borgomano, Montaigne
The floods that devastated western Germany in July 2021 will mark a turning point in German politics. Considered the biggest natural disaster in the country in recent decades, the floods killed more than 170 people, according to an estimation on July 20. In an unapologetic show of the consequences of climate change, they put the environmental emergency back at the center of the election campaign. With two months to go before federal elections, these floods could... Читать дальше...
