BLOG Post #357: The Biden-Xi Summit in Bali 22 Nov 202222 Nov 2022 Some Reasons for Optimism The much-ballyhooed first in-person summit between Pres. Biden and Xi on November 14 went off pretty well. Biden clearly communicated the US belief that a…
BLOG Post #350: Two on China: Xi Does Well in Central Asia, Taiwan Fares Well in the US Senate 20 Sep 202219 Sep 2022 The Limits of “No Limits” In the course of his Central Asia tour, Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin for what some analysts thought would be a reprise of their…
APB… ANNOUNCEMENT: MY NEW BOOK ON CHINA 8 Sep 202214 Oct 2022 Dear Readers: On October 15, Engaging China: Rebuilding Sino-American Relations will be published by Rowman & Littlefield. As you know from my blogs on US-China relations, I am at once…
BLOG Post #348: Another Missed Opportunity in US-China Relations 24 Aug 202223 Aug 2022 The Washington Post reports that Xi Jinping personally asked President Biden to find a way to put off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/20/nancy-pelosi-biden-taiwan/) . According to…
BLOG Post #346: Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip: A Needless Provocation 3 Aug 20223 Aug 2022 The audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/66494/55-nancy-pelosis-taiwan-trip-a-needless-provocation.mp3 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was intent on visiting Taiwan, and did so despite President Biden’s misgivings and criticisms from many China…
APB Five Reasons Why Nancy Pelosi Should Postpone a Trip to Taiwan 28 Jul 2022 House Leader Nancy Pelosi seems intent on visiting Taiwan. That might not seem like a big deal to Americans, but these are dangerous times in US-China relations. That makes…
BLOG Post #339: Biden, Taiwan, and Strategic Ambiguity 27 May 202228 May 2022 An audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/60974/47-biden-taiwan-and-strategic-ambiguity.mp3 Defending Taiwan At a stopover in Tokyo during his Asia trip, President Biden was asked whether the US would “defend Taiwan”…
BLOG Post #330: An Engagement Moment for the US and China 20 Mar 202222 Mar 2022 Listen to this blog at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/54894/39-an-engagement-moment-with-china-on-ukraine.mp3 One of the more interesting developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine is the retreat of China from full-fledged support of Russia. When the Russian…
BLOG Post #325: China’s Careful Dance Around the Ukraine Crisis 6 Feb 20225 Feb 2022 The podcast of this blog may be heard at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/50923/34-china-russia-relations-and-the-ukraine-crisis.mp3 Reports out of Washington suggest worry over a Russia-China partnership that would facilitate Vladimir Putin’s presumed ambition to absorb Ukraine…
BLOG Post #323 – Destroying Democracy: China in Hong Kong 11 Jan 202211 Jan 2022 An audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/48006/32-destroying-democracy-china-in-hong-kong.mp3 On July 1, 1997 the United Kingdom formally handed Hong Kong over to China under an agreement that was supposed…
BLOG Post #322: The Battle Over Cobalt 22 Dec 202111 Jan 2022 The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/46515/30-the-battle-over-cobalt.mp3 Today’s commentary is about a valuable mineral that is the subject of intense international competition. Not a new subject: In past…
BLOG Post #318: Finding Common Ground with China 18 Nov 202117 Nov 2021 Readers note: An audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/44104/26-finding-common-ground-with-china.mp3 “It seems clear to me we need to establish some common-sense guardrails,” President Biden told President Xi Jinping…
BLOG POST #312: The China Initiative, A Flawed and Dysfunctional Policy 22 Sep 2021 President Biden is continuing the disengagement policy toward China that began under Donald Trump, with strong bipartisan support. Many people may not be aware that the opposite policy once…
BLOG Post #301: The Pentagon’s Untouchable Budget 11 Jun 20215 Jul 2021 This post is also available as a podcast at https://www.podserve.fm/dashboard/episode_player_2/33010 Did you really think that electing Joe Biden would mean major reductions in military spending and the shift of Pentagon…
BLOG Post #299: War Over Taiwan? Avoiding a US-China Miscalculation 2 Jun 20211 Jun 2021 This blog is available as a podcast: https://www.podserve.fm/dashboard/episode_player_2/32051 A shorter audio version can be accessed at "Today in Foreign Affairs" on the website. The Increasing US Commitment to Taiwan Taiwan…
BLOG Post #293: The US-China Dialogue of the Deaf in Alaska 30 Mar 202128 Mar 2021 Rules-Based Order? Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he knew, going into the first face-to-face meetings with China’s top two foreign affairs officials on March 17, that “we are fundamentally…
BLOG Post #290: Biden’s Opportunity with China 23 Feb 202121 Feb 2021 The dominant view of China in both Washington and in American public opinion is that the United States faces an increasingly ruthless Chinese leadership, requiring that US policy restrain if…
BLOG Post #288: A Progressive Agenda for Biden’s Foreign Policy 27 Jan 202126 Jan 2021 (Note to Readers: This overview of the challenging issues faced by the new administration will be followed by other blogs that examine US policy in greater detail, starting with the…
BLOG Post #286: Biden and the World: A First Look at His Foreign Affairs Team (Part 2) 31 Dec 20202 Jan 2021 In the previous post, I introduced the president-elect’s team: a group of serious professionals dedicated to halting and reversing America’s retreat from the world. But, I asked, will they…
BLOG Post #285: Biden and the World: A First Look at His Foreign Affairs Team (Part 1) 27 Dec 202024 Dec 2020 Dream Team? President-elect Joe Biden has introduced his foreign policy and national security team, and it is certainly a far cry from the haphazardly organized group assembled under Donald…
In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov 