Nuclear Energy Issue “a Dead Horse” for Germany | Is Taiwan’s Defense Budget Enough to Deter China? | Turkey, Greece Seek 'New Approaches' to Resolve Decades-Old Disputes, and more

The reality is that an isolationist streak has existed within the Republican Party for more than a century, competing with a long-standing internationalist impulse. National security crises and presidential leadership have at times moved the needle toward greater Republican support for internationalism, while periods of relative calm and populist politicians have at other times shifted GOP attitudes in the opposite direction. But this contest of foreign-policy ideas within the party has never been resolved.
In the years ahead, election outcomes and world events will shape the direction in which the Republican Party moves on issues ranging from Russia to China to trade. A resounding victory or defeat for Trump or another GOP presidential candidate, the rise of a new star in the party with a different foreign-policy message, the outbreak of a new overseas conflict or national security crisis, or a major shift in the United States’ economic trajectory could move the GOP foreign-policy pendulum in either direction, toward greater internationalism or greater isolationism. But if history is a guide, any such swing is likely to be temporary, and this fundamental debate over the United States’ role in the world will continue in one of its two governing parties.

Turkey and Greece Agree to Revive Talks, Seek ‘New Approaches’ to Resolve Decades-Old Disputes  (AP / VOA News)
The foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to revive high-level contacts between their countries and seek “new approaches” to problems as part of efforts to improve ties between the two NATO allies who are at loggerheads over a string of decades-old disputes.
Discussions between Greece’s Giorgos Gerapetritis and Turkey’s Hakan Fidan were held in a more friendly climate triggered by Greece sending assistance to Turkey following a devastating earthquake earlier this year, and Turkey offering condolences after a deadly train accident in Greece.

Finland Charges Three with Racist ‘Terrorist Crime’  (Reuters)
Finnish prosecutors on Thursday indicted three men on the charge of “terrorist crime”, saying they were suspected of preparing to instigate armed conflict between ethnic groups. “The defendants are suspected of having, due to racist beliefs, prepared an armed conflict between ethnic groups in which people were to be killed and social structures undermined through attacks in which self-made weapons would be used,” the prosecution authority said. It said in a statement that they had found in an investigation that the suspects had constructed and trained themselves to use weapons, although they had not got as far as preparing a concrete act. The suspects, one of whom is in custody, have contested most of the charges, the agency said without elaborating. The three are suspected of having formed a right-wing extremist group and their weapons were mainly 3D-printed, police had said earlier.

U.S. Deterrence Against China Is Not Working  (Bryan Clark, Foreign Policy)
For more than three decades, the U.S. military’s global preeminence has been the rock on which U.S. strategy and security policy are built. But technology diffusion, growing global challenges, and antiquated force design have eroded the United States’ military edge against China, which could exploit its geographical proximity and advancing capabilities to win a regional war against Taiwan. Without the certainty of continued military dominance that, until now, gave Washington the ability to simply deny and suppress aggression in East Asia, U.S. leaders seeking conventional deterrence will need to devise a different strategy.
Despite the rhetoric in parts of Washington, war with China is not imminent, and an invasion of Taiwan carries many risks for the Chinese Communist Party as it faces mounting economic, demographic, and diplomatic challenges. To make an invasion unattractive for Beijing, the U.S. military may merely need to raise China’s perception that any conflict would be drawn out and exceedingly costly. Instead of optimizing the U.S. military for an invasion that may never come, Washington should therefore mount a long-term campaign that undermines Beijing’s confidence in a range of violent paths to realizing its ambitions in Taiwan and the region. This campaign should involve military and nonmilitary means that seek to steer China toward more responsible and peaceful paths to its foreign-policy goals.

Taiwan Announced a Record Defense Budget: But Is It Enough to Deter China?  (David Sacks, CFR)
While Taiwan has significantly increased its defense spending over the past seven years, it needs to invest more to deter China and prevent the military balance from shifting decisively in Beijing’s favor.