Gov. Wes Moore

second episode now available too

43

3 Comments

My latest column in Arms Control Today on some practical ways the nuclear weapons states and nonnuclear weapon states can begin to reduce nuclear dangers.

29

1 Comment

In my latest column, I discuss the intensifying conflict in the Middle East and suggest that Iran's support for HAMAS and its recent missile attack on Israel are part of its campaign to derail the peace negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. https://lnkd.in/ePaCBNYH

1

IRI is proud to publish “Bolstering Democratic Resilience to PRC Foreign Authoritarian Influence – A Field Guide,” curated by Caitlin Dearing Scott. This field guide builds upon years of effort by IRI and our partners to study and counter the many ways the Chinese party-state influences and corrodes democratic institutions around the world. While many people have studied and written about the PRC’s actions, there is relatively little work designed to guide civil society, journalists, academia, and concerned officials on the best ways to respond. This practical guide seeks to fill that gap, providing tools and strategies to bolster democratic resilience to authoritarian influence. The Field Guide opens with a brief overview of the PRC’s growing global influence and discusses why its negative impact on so many nations’ democratic institutions has made a guide like this necessary. It next examines the various ways PRC economic influence, political interference, and influence in the information space can corrode other countries’ democratic institutions. It recommends the best responses to PRC influence, using 15 case studies from 6 continents to illustrate how both the problem and its solutions play out in the real world. It closes with an appendix that includes the open-source tools and databases IRI and our partners have found most useful for researching and understanding Chinese influence. This Field Guide is meant to be a primer for democracy champions all over the world in tackling the PRC’s complex, sometimes deeply ingrained interests. This document outlines the nature of the problem and offers potential responses drawn from IRI’s global network of partners. Throughout, the guide calls for a balanced approach; responses to the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian challenge should support the values democracy is meant to protect. This Field Guide offers the best responses to PRC influence as identified by IRI and our worldwide network of partners. However, this work is constantly evolving; we have learned that the best solutions come from deep local understanding of the problem, of potential windows for change, and of which narratives best resonate. Rather than being the final word, we hope this Field Guide can be a start for those who want to develop their own unique approaches to PRC influence together with a global community of like-minded journalists, activists, scholars, and politicians. Check it out at IRI.org

48

Hear, hear

6

Despair can be paralyzing. Being open, and sharing thoughts without partisan vitriol can be very useful for mobilizing and altering the trajectory of our society to resolve its problems. Social media can be overwhelming, but it allows sharing uncensored realities. I recommend the Freedom Fest debate (July, vimeo.com/958658706 ) for open discussions on solutions. vimeo.com/958658706 )

2

I must correct this awful essay by Senator Vance in The New York Times. While Vance is a Republican, his justifications for pulling the plug on #Ukraine do not represent a conservative perspective any more than the defeatist views of Joseph Kennedy Sr. represented a Democratic perspective during his tenure as FDR's amb to UK in WW2. Defeatism or appeasement is not aligned with any Left or Right political ideology. Rather, it is an infection of the mind that does not understand a society's motivation or will to fight. If there is anything I've learned in over two decades as a military member or teacher of military history, it is that war is not about math. War has its own logic that enables "mathematically" weaker forces to triumph. A review of US #military #history shows that America (with abundant nuclear weapons and the most powerful military in the world) lost in Vietnam, Iraq, & Afghanistan. Why? Because wars of conquest are harder to win than wars of national liberation (think the French in Indochina or Algeria). If it were really so easy to just put a nations' orders of battle side by side to compare and then predict who would win a #war, then nobody would ever have to resort to violence because we'd know how it would end. But we don't. UKR needs weapons to defend themselves from #Russia. UKR already defied the assessments that they would lose early, but they heroically defended their land. By not giving the Ukrainians the weapons they need to push Russian forces off of their land, Vance would condemn those in occupied territories to the same sort of brutal treatment that the rest of the Russian people endure. An existence in which any sort of protest or free thought could land you in prison, a world in which political opposition leaders are assassinated and where history is distorted to justify imperial expansion. I would not want my enemy to live a life like that, so I wonder why Vance would condemn millions of Ukrainians to live under #Putin's boot. Of course the Ukrainians are resisting. They know what freedom is and want to align themselves with the West. They know exactly what their new Russian overlords would do to them and they calculate that it is worth their lives in order to ensure that their children have the chance to grow up free. Finally, let's consider a counterfactual. What if, during the #American #Revolution, the French "did the math" when the Continental Congress asked for support to throw off the Brits in their colonies? The French provided the Americans w/ money, arms, troops, even a Navy, to aid #independence. Why would they do this? Why would a monarchy (with colonies of its own) help some colonies rid themselves of a faraway fellow monarchy? It was in their national interest. In the case of Ukraine, it is in America (and #NATO and the #EU)'s interests to support Ukraine's cause. It also happens to have the fantastic bonus of being the right thing to do.

479

173 Comments

"In the last installment of our interview series with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., KPRG's Naina Rao delves into how China’s growing influence in the region affects the consensus shared between Pacific Island countries. President Whipps also discussed the challenge of balancing traditional values with increasing modernity. But first, what will the renewed Compact funding be used for? And where will it go?"

2

The decision for U.S. troops to temporarily depart from Chad and Niger signals a significant shift in the security landscape of central Africa, prompting a reevaluation of diplomatic and military ties between the two nations. This move comes amidst broader geopolitical recalibrations as African states reassess their relationships with external powers. As Chad and the United States engage in discussions regarding their security cooperation, questions arise about the implications for regional stability and counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region. The U.S. is losing an important foothold and there are geopolitical recalculations by all major actors, particularly Chad, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, about how international military presence should be managed in the Sahel. #USMilitary #Chad #SecurityCooperation #Geopolitics #RegionalStability USForeignPolicy #Sahel #Mali #Niger #BurkinaFaso #geopolitics https://lnkd.in/e6r2srn8

3

1 Comment

10/21/24 Korean News and Commentary https://conta.cc/3UdzaGH 1. [Exclusive] UN Command finds cross-border broadcasts trigger trash balloons: JCS memo 2. Yoon, NATO chief share concerns over N.K.'s troop dispatch to Russia in phone talks 3. South Korea calls for immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops allegedly in Russia 4. Russia defends N. Korea ties, denies clarifying use of N. Korean soldiers in Ukraine 5. Yoon, British FM agree to cooperate against N.K.-Russia military cooperation 6. Russia Found to Use North Korea Missiles With Western Parts 7. DMZ residents suffer from North Korean loudspeakers, blame defector groups 8. South Korea tells North Korea that its troops are in Russia on loudspeaker broadcast 9. North Korean troop dispatch is South's chance to end national division: Ukrainian commander 10. Korea's Marine Corps participates in multilateral exercise led by U.S., Philippines 11. A crusade for North Korean human rights 12. N. Korea keeps mum on its troop deployment to Russia 13. Seoul thinks about providing extra 155mm shells to Ukraine 14. Xi sends reply to Kim, omitting the phrase ‘friendly neighboring country’ 15. N. Korean security agency caught hiding secret leaks 16. North Korea gains combat experience, South Korea battles manpower shortages 17. N. Korean military report exposes foreign media problem, sparks harsh punishments 18. Ukraine's Zelenskyy seeks strong reaction to North Korean involvement in war

4

My article with Foriegn Analysis offers an in-depth analysis of the leadership dynamics between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The piece explores how their distinct approaches—Biden’s multilateralism and Xi’s pursuit of China’s resurgence—are shaping the future of U.S.-China relations and global stability. #USChinaRelations #Leadership #Geopolitics #ForeignPolicy

39

4 Comments

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has experienced a massive population exodus as objectors and others have sought refuge abroad. And the ranks of those people are much larger than commonly understood. I explain why this matters in my latest for The National Interest. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/ehvnkDei

4

How and where do American Diplomats train? Rather than try to be all-encompassing, this video of the Secretary of State visiting the Foreign Service Institute earlier this year is a good place to start. #diplomacy #altac #lifelonglearning

10

1 Comment

In the latest edition of the American Foreign Policy Council Defense Dossier, I explain how, post-October 7th, China has well and truly chosen sides in the Middle East. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/ez47paEj

5

Sharing😊 Prime Insight | At the onset of what can be termed Cold War 2.0, tensions between major global powers like the U.S., Russia, and China are resurfacing, marked by intricate geopolitical rivalries and strategic maneuvering. In this context, Henry Kissinger's remark, "To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be its friend is fatal," resonates profoundly. This sentiment is particularly relevant to the Asia-Pacific region, where the Philippines finds itself at the heart of the strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China, highlighting the potential risks of being closely aligned with the U.S. The quote fundamentally underscores the complexities and often precarious nature of alliances with the U.S. History is replete with instances where nations aligned with the U.S. faced significant challenges, betrayals, or adverse outcomes. One such case is the U.S. support for Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s regime in the Philippines, driven by his anti-communist stance. Despite this backing, increasing domestic opposition and economic decline culminated in the People Power Revolution in 1986, leading to Marcos Sr.'s ouster. Although the U.S. facilitated his exile, the Philippines endured significant political and economic turmoil. This historical episode offers valuable lessons for Filipinos and the current regime in the Philippines, providing critical insights for navigating present and future geopolitical landscapes. To read more, please click the link below; 👇 https://lnkd.in/gaRfuvMN

1

For the last three years, millions of taxpayer dollars have been flowing into DMO budgets in the U.S. It's a consequence of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. ARPA gave the U.S. Economic Development Administration $750 million to give to states and communities affected by job losses in travel, tourism and outdoor recreation industries. There unfortunately isn't a public database or list of all the projects taxpayer dollars went to.

4

4 Comments

Check out this thoughtful discussion with LA Times journalist Jaweed K. and Josh Good about my new book "Ending Persecution." Thanks Faith Angle Forum hosting!

2