In The News

Is A Trump Presidency Really a Big Win for Putin?

Reid Standish November 24, 2016
Among Donald Trump’s consistent positions during the US presidential campaign was a respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a desire to restore US ties with a Cold War adversary. Reid Standish writes in Foreign Policy that Putin celebrated Trump’s win because it represents a chance for him to “restore Russia’s global status and reopen ties with the West.” Trump has not laid out clear...

US Walks Away From TPP, Leaving China Free to Dominate Asia

Anthony Rowley November 22, 2016
The Obama administration has suspended efforts to win approval from the US Congress for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reports suggest, and it’s up to the Trump administration to kill or shape the 12-nation deal. With TPP on life support, China promotes two other trade agreements for the region, either of which could exclude the United States and reduce its competitiveness in the Asia Pacific...

Donald Trump and the Coming Test of International Order

Uri Friedman November 21, 2016
Foreign policy experts suggest that Trump may pose a test to the post-WWII international order, led by the United States and shaped by alliances, an open economy and support for liberal institutions. For seven decades, Republican and Democratic administrations argued in favor such an order and assumed that the consequences of collapse would be enormous. Uri Friedman interviews several experts for...

China and the US Undercut International Law

Humphrey Hawksley November 17, 2016
Major powers tend to reject international law when rulings run counter to their interests insisting that the distant courts carry no jurisdiction. China rejected a Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in July and clings to expansive claims in the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal near the Philippines. China’s response mirrored US rejection of a 1986 International Court of Justice...

Trump Gives Carbon Price Foes New Line of Attack

Aaron Wherry November 17, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump described climate change as a “hoax” for US businesses and promised to repeal environmental regulations and to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. China has since offered the reminder that the United States supported UN deliberations on a warming planet during the Reagan administration well before China knew such negotiations were underway. Canada and other...

Spain’s Parties Split Over Royal Visit to Saudi Arabia

Juan José Mateo Ruiz Gàlvez and Francesco Manetto November 16, 2016
Economic and security interests clash, and so do foreign policy and domestic priorities. Some Spanish political leaders are criticizing a potential multibillion dollar contract for Spain to build warships for Saudi Arabia. King Felipe’s visit in support of the deal was delayed once due to political gridlock, and members of the left-leaning party Podemos vehemently oppose rescheduling the visit or...

China and the US: Two Visions, One Collaboration?

Marc Grossman November 15, 2016
Donald Trump promised during the US presidential campaign to be tough on trade with China, suggesting he would label the country a currency manipulator and impose tariffs unless trade agreements were renegotiated. Trade is likewise threatened with China’s expansive claims and military buildup in the South China Sea. But the world’s two largest economies have reason to cooperate in Asia, argues...