WORLD ROUNDUPChina’s Belt and Road Initiative Is Booming | Optimism for Gaza Is Based on Shaky Assumptions | Why Trumps Madman Act Doesn’t Work, and more
· China Started Separating Its Economy from the West Years Ago
· Historical Parallels Highlight the Challenges of Implementing Phase II of the Gaza Peace Plan
· Optimism for Gaza Is Based on Shaky Assumptions
· Will Israel’s Algorithmic Counter-Insurgency Proliferate to the West?
· Why Trumps Madman Act Doesn’t Work
· The Brewing Egypt-Ethiopia Nile River Conflict is Ripe for “Solving”
· China’s Belt and Road Initiative Is Booming
China Started Separating Its Economy from the West Years Ago (Keith Bradsher, New York Times)
Two decades of sustained effort to build national self-reliance and minimize imports have antagonized trade partners but fortified what a senior adviser called Beijing’s “bulwark” against conflicts.
Historical Parallels Highlight the Challenges of Implementing Phase II of the Gaza Peace Plan (Brian Michael Jenkins, RAND)
The world can rightfully celebrate the Gaza ceasefire, the return of the living hostages, and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid. Although the agreement reflects the acceptance of hard realities by both sides, it is hard to imagine reaching this step without the personal intervention of President Trump. The challenge now will be to maintain the momentum through the high hurdles ahead.
Optimism for Gaza Is Based on Shaky Assumptions (Kerry Boyd Anderson, War on the Rocks)
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan clearly envisions that Palestinians should continue living in Gaza and that “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.” Most of the plan clashes with the goals of the far-right members of Israel’s current ruling coalition, who seek permanent Israeli control of Gaza as part of a “Greater Israel.” However, their vision of a future Gaza in which Israelis replace Palestinians remains very much alive.
Will Israel’s Algorithmic Counter-Insurgency Proliferate to the West? (Muhanad Seloom, War on the Rocks)
Israel’s recent campaign in Gaza marks a turning point in modern warfare: the fusion of counter-insurgency and artificial intelligence. Will Western states, with different traditions of counter-insurgency that emphasize legitimacy and population control, be influenced by Israel’s algorithmic model? This question carries high stakes. If Israel’s approach, which is characterized by automation, scale, and attrition, becomes a template for liberal democracies, it could normalize a form of warfare that values computational efficiency over human judgment.
Why Trumps Madman Act Doesn’t Work (Samuel Seitz and Caitlin Talmadge, Lawfare)
The administration’s approach of “strategic uncertainty” is unlikely to produce better deals.
The Brewing Egypt-Ethiopia Nile River Conflict is Ripe for “Solving” (Allison Lombardo and Peter J. Quaranto, Just Security)
An agreement to resolve the dam conflict has long been drafted. Trump could be the “closer” engaging Presidents Abiy and el-Sisi for a deal.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative Is Booming (Economist)
In a Trump-troubled world, China’s leader still sees opportunities in poor countries.
