As U.S. policymakers grapple with the China problem, the role of ideology in American foreign policy has once again become an important subject of discussion. On one side of the debate are intellectuals who argue that ideology is inseparable from the China challenge. Aaron Friedberg has argued that because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is...
Iran’s foreign policy conjures imagery of a spider and its entangling web, each thread representing a proxy to be called upon to ensnare an adversary. Indeed, Iran has built an impressive network of non-state surrogates that operate on its behalf or, at least, further its strategic goals. Most of Iran’s state and sub-state partners have...
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is after the treasures of our society. Besides aiming industrial espionage at commercial sectors for pure economic advantage, China’s strategic intelligence targets are private-sector dependencies of the American national security establishment. Gaping holes in the security practices of the defense industrial base, high-technology firms, academia, critical infrastructure, and government...
“¡Pobre México! ¡Tan lejos de Dios y tan cerca de los Estados Unidos!” (Poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States!) Attributed to former Mexican President Porfirio Díaz and widely known in Mexico, the remark partially captures the complicated relationship between the United States and its southern neighbor. This long...
The U.S. Department of Defense considers China the pacing threat to the United States as its military buildup, economic coercion, and political warfare threaten the U.S.-led world order that serves the interests of Americans.[1] While the United States has devoted significant attention and resources to the Indo-Pacific, the nuclear element of competition with China has...
Former Secretary of Defense and retired four-star General James Mattis is fond of saying that in his line of work, “the enemy gets a vote.” Vladimir Putin’s recent war of aggression against Ukraine proves this point. Even at a time of divisive politics and a public health crisis unseen in a century, the United States...
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government. Assumptions made within the analysis are not a reflection of the position of any U.S. government entity. Though the United States and China both face downward-trending...
Maximum pressure on Iran may be over, but it is still the dominant framework guiding discussions on U.S. policy towards the regime. Despite some internal disagreements over particular elements, this strategy guided U.S. policy from May 2018 through the end of the Trump administration in January 2021. Although the Biden administration has taken a sharply...
“We have been handicapped however by a popular attachment to the concept of a basic difference between peace and war, by a tendency to view war as a sort of sporting contest outside of all political context.” – George Kennan, 1948 American cybersecurity policy remains disjointed in implementation between the private, government, and national security...
“Who is happy about this?” Vladimir Putin asked the 2007 Munich Security Conference audience of world leaders. In this now-infamous tirade, Putin referenced “one state” which had superimposed its economic, political, cultural, and educational policies upon the world.[1] That one state was, of course, the United States. Fifteen years and three American presidential administrations later,...
