Essays
U.S. Navy/Liaison
Defense Infrastructure
COVID-Proofing Our Military

The coronavirus threatens to hobble U.S. military capacity, thus affording our adversaries an opportunity to strike.

Frank Schwichtenberg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Can the WHO Deliver?
Key Questions for the World Health Organization

If the WHO is to remain a credible international organization, it must answer these questions—publicly and in detail.

(Wikimedia Commons)
Infighting
A Chastened China Girds for Conflict

Xi’s regime underperformed when facing COVID-19, and Chinese elites know it. In the unstable times ahead, expect a more hostile and unpredictable foreign policy coming out of Beijing.

COVID-19
Central Europe’s China Reckoning

Central Europe has an opportunity to benefit from the coming restructuring of global supply chains—but only if it gets out of bed with Beijing.

Corona and the Kremlin
How the Oil Shock Will Contain Putin

Russia’s military has historically been more active when energy prices soar and less so when they fall. Now, with COVID-19, they are falling precipitously.

Lessons from History
The Pandemic and a Free Press

History shows that for the world’s autocrats, some control over the media is never enough—and COVID-19 offers dangerous new pretexts for consolidating their power.

(Wikimedia Commons)
Plagues of the Past
Fear and Loathing in Philadelphia

In 1793, the former U.S. capital was ravaged by yellow fever. Its response illustrated the limits of the Enlightenment—but also the strength of the Republic.

“Boss Tweet” by user DonkeyHotey (via Flickr)
Political Decay
Patronage and the Pandemic

While we don’t have all the answers yet, early indicators suggest that the President is using wide latitude to direct supplies to his supporters and to benefit businesses close to him.

(Wikimedia Commons)
Virtual Representation
The National Party Conventions Under Coronavirus

To move them online would be a logical continuation of pre-COVID trends. It could also weaken the parties.

Family Secrets
Why King Abdullah Is King

His father, King Hussein, had always wanted it that way, he just never told anybody. Except me.

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