WORLD ROUNDUPXi Jinping Was Only Humoring Trump | How Israeli Terror Begets Palestinian Terror | Does Iran Hold All the Cards in the Strait of Hormuz?, and more

Xi Jinping Was Only Humoring Trump  (Franklin Foer, The Atlantic)
In Beijing, a lame-duck president personified the decline of American power.

How Israeli Terror Begets Palestinian Terror  (Nimrod Novik, Economist)
Settler violence in the West Bank undermines Israel’s security, its moral fabric and its global standing.

How Tommy Robinson Gained Extraordinary Influence  (Economist)
The far-right influencer’s world is closer than you might think.

Indonesia’s President Is Jeopardizing the Economy and Democracy  (Economist)
Prabowo Subianto is too spendthrift and too authoritarian.

The Secretive Conglomerate That Controls Cuba’s Economy  (Maria Abi-Habib and Lazaro Gamio, New York Times)
Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to expand Cuban sanctions to target GAESA. The order says the conglomerate’s revenues “are likely more than three times the state’s budget.”
GAESA was born out of desperation following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but its roots trace back to the 1980s. Raúl Castro, then the defense minister, convinced his older brother, President Fidel Castro, to allow him to make changes to the military’s business interest.
GAESA’s control grew more dominant when Raúl took over the presidency from his brother Fidel in 2008. It now oversees many parts of the economy, big and small. GAESA also has companies in Angola, pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual profits from education, health care, construction and more.

Trump Turns Taiwan Arms Sales into Bargaining Chip with China  (Chris Buckley, New York Times)
The president said a potential arms deal for Taiwan was a “very good negotiating chip” in talks with Beijing. His words raise questions about the steadfastness of U.S. support.

Does Iran Hold All the Cards in the Strait of Hormuz?  (Paul J. Saunders, National Interest)
Like Russia before it, Iran is learning that using the prospect of an oil crisis as a threat no longer works after the crisis begins.

How to Restore US Leadership After the Iran War  (Lawrence J. Haas, National Interests)
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is a reminder that, over the long term, the United States must invest in its navy and alliances.