• China's South China Sea Tactics Push Manila to Become More Assertive

    In a bold move, the Philippine coast guard this week publicly cut loose a floating barrier installed by China near a disputed South China Sea lagoon, highlighting how Beijing’s actions are fueling forceful responses, analysts say. It also could help rally other countries in the region to stand up to Beijing.

  • The BRICS Expansion and the Global Balance of Power

    In early September, the BRICS group of five countries with emerging economies announced it would expand its ranks by six nations. This would loosely link together countries representing about 30 percent of global GDP and 43 percent of global oil production. MIT political scientist Taylor Fravel examines the potential and limitations of a bigger BRICS group of countries — and what it means for the U.S.

  • U.S., Latin America to Boost Cybersecurity

    Countries up and down the Western Hemisphere are looking to eliminate weaknesses in their cyber infrastructure that could give potential adversaries, including China and Russia, the ability to do extensive damage by exploiting a single vulnerability.

  • Eritrea Stoking Conflicts Between Its Migrants Abroad

    The repressive regime of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has forced many Eritreans to seek refuge abroad. Some commentators believe Afwerki is stoking conflict between Eritrean migrants and their host nations.

  • American Grand Strategy, Realism, and the Russo-Ukraine War

    Choices in foreign policy are never simple and are always sub-optimal. The choice faced now is whether to continue to support Ukraine fighting a messy, tragic war, which it may take time to win, or to let it carry on alone, with the prospect of an even more tragic conclusion from which the Western Alliance, let alone Ukraine, might never recover. As Western countries are not actually doing the fighting and have the resources to sustain Ukraine in its struggle, in the end this is not that difficult a choice to make. No, Ukraine is not another Vietnam.

  • North Korea’s Coming Breakout

    Bad news for the world is often welcome relief to North Korea, a country that thrives in the shadowy cracks of the international system, Jonathan Corrado writes. Recent international developments have played into North Korea’s hands. “History shows that North Korea cannot be ignored. The more preparation is done today, the easier the answer will be tomorrow,” Corrado concludes.

  • U.S. Chip Sales to China to Continue, but Not Most Powerful Ones

    The United States will continue to sell semi-conductor computer chips to China but not its most powerful ones “that China wants for its military,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. While the United States and China maintain more than $700 billion in annual trade, escalating tensions in recent years have made it more challenging for U.S. firms to operate in China.

  • A Common BRICS Currency to Challenge the U.S. Dollar? “A Very Far-Fetched Notion”: Expert

    The BRICS bloc, a group of developing countries seen as seeking to counter the United States and the West, agreed at a summit last week to admit six new countries — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The new members will make BRICS a commodities powerhouse, and the group now accounts for 40 percent of the world’s population. It will be tough for group members  to get away from the dollar as a reserve currency, however, due to the far greater ease of buying and selling it.

  • President Biden Has Banned Some U.S. Investment in China. Here’s What to Know.

    A new executive order restricts U.S. investments in sensitive technologies that Washington fears could help Beijing increase its military power. It is the latest in a raft of policies erecting barriers between the world’s two largest economies, and U.S. allies could soon adopt similar measures. The  Biden administration says the restrictions are directed at protecting national security, not stifling economic competition.

  • U.S.-led Deterrence in South China Sea May Push China to Become More Confrontational: Analysts

    The U.S. and its allies conducted several joint military exercises near the Philippines. Analysts say Washington and its allies are showcasing an “inter-alliance cohesion” through these coordinated activities. While Washington and its allies hope to shift China’s aggressive behaviors in the South China Sea through deterrence and other means, some defense experts say Beijing may view these moves as an intensification of U.S.-led efforts to contain it.

  • The U.S. and China May Be Ending an Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation − a Policy Expert Explains What This Means for Research

    A decades-old science and technology cooperative agreement between the United States and China was set to expire on Aug. 27, 2023, but was extended, at the last minute, by six months to allow more negotiations between the two countries. On the surface, an expiring diplomatic agreement may not seem significant. But unless it’s renewed, the quiet end to a cooperative era may have consequences for scientific research and technological innovation, as the U.S. risks being cut off from top know-how as China forges ahead.

  • Baltic States Seek to Decouple Their Power Grids from Russia

    Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are seeking to disconnect from an energy grid network shared with Russia and Belarus by early 2025. Vilnius is pushing from an earlier exit from the grid, which Tallin opposes.

  • Thailand’s Emerging New Political Alignment

    The big surprise of Thailand’s 14 May general election was the performance of the Move Forward Party, which seemed to be a rebuke of nine years of political dominance by the monarchy and military-backed government.

  • Experts: Vietnam May Benefit as US Companies De-risk Supply Chains Now in China

    Vietnam is well-positioned to draw U.S. investors seeking to de-risk supply chains now in China, but closer economic integration between Hanoi and Washington appears unlikely to lead to political realignment, according to experts.

  • The Dollar: The World’s Reserve Currency

    The dollar’s role as the primary reserve currency for the global economy allows the United States to borrow money more easily and impose painful financial sanctions. Other countries are beginning to consider alternatives.