U.S. China Policy: Incoherent and Dangerous
The cement is hardly dry on America’s new policy to forge new Asia-Pacific alliances, and already the post–Iraq endeavor is coming across as a collection of incoherent contradictions. Consider: *We say we want to build closer ties with China, but…
China, Dying for Growth, Is Paying a High Price
You may have read about the bridge that collapsed in northern China this past weekend. It was all of nine months old. Four trucks went down with the 330-foot span that gave way: three deaths and five injuries. Poor design,…
Election 2012: Do Candidates Have a Foreign Policy?
This has to be the most inward-gazing presidential election in nearly half a century. True, voters are focused on domestic problems: the health care system, joblessness, the fiscal deficit, the state of the economy and what to do about it….
Three Global Hotspots that Can Damage the Recovery
Wories to the west of us, worries to the east. It is hardly the kind of August to encourage us to head for the beach and try to get through Proust for the 16th time. There are signs we are…
China’s ‘Command Economy’ Rebound Depends on Jobs
Western observers are more nervous about China’s economic slump than the Chinese seem to be. We have had a raft of first-half numbers from Beijing over the past week or so as Prime Minister Wen Jiabao toured several eastern and…
China Reboot: From Textiles and Tea to High Tech
The tea leaves have not yet settled in China after the ousting of Bo Xilai, a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party and (until last week) a shoe-in candidate for a seat on the Politburo’s powerful standing committee. But…
Rare Earth Minerals: China’s Got ‘em, We Want More
President Obama’s move last week to pursue a WTO case against China, whatever the merits of the U.S. argument, is at the least badly timed and is possibly a mistake altogether. We are all for an amicable, equitable relationship with…
6 Ways to Avoid an Economic Implosion in China
“What if China Fails?” This was the headline on an essay in the Wilson Quarterly in August 2010. It is now 2012, and we are still seeing strong economic growth, although Beijing just slashed the target to 7.5 percent–an 8-year…
Sanctions: Will Iran Redouble Its Nuclear Efforts?
Iranian oil, American diplomacy, and Asian economic power combined last week to yield a highly unstable, potentially combustible cocktail. The American economy and the financial markets have much to be thankful for so far in 2012, particularly as we look…
Reengineering Defense: Good, but Not Good Enough
At last, Americans can now say, we have broken the habit of preparing for the last war. The strategic defense initiative President Obama unveiled late last week is every bit the departure from previous practice that Obama and Defense Secretary…
Recent Comments