Articles & Multimedia
Showing 1-20 of 24 Publications
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Sharper: Taiwan
Taiwan plays a pivotal role in East Asian and global affairs. It has long been a central point of contention in the strategic competition between the United States and China. ...
By Anna Pederson & Jacob Stokes
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Why China Sees Opportunity in Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
China will likely continue to walk a fine line to skirt international condemnation, as the readout from Xi’s Friday call with Putin shows....
By Jacob Stokes
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China’s Nuclear Buildup is About More Than Nukes
Pursuing nuclear and strategic stability between the United States and China will likely prove harder than ever — but it is perhaps more important than ever, too....
By Jacob Stokes
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Assessing the Biden Administration’s Policy Toward the Indo-Pacific
Biden’s prioritisation of allies and close partners could leave the rest of the region’s states unsure about their role and those of the region’s legacy multilateral instituti...
By Jacob Stokes
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Getting real about US–China cooperation
One of the toughest questions in the current frosty era of relations between Washington and Beijing is whether and how to pursue cooperation amid ‘extreme’ geopolitical compet...
By Jacob Stokes
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When and Why China Might—or Might Not—Attack Taiwan
Washington should continue to emphasize to Beijing the costs of aggression and the value of the status quo for China, the region, and the world...
By Jacob Stokes
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Four Reasons Why Talking to North Korea Would Be Smart Strategy
It seems fair to say the Trump administration’s policy on whether to engage in direct diplomatic talks with Kim Jong-Un’s regime in North Korea is still developing. It’s time ...
By Jacob Stokes
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China Won’t Fix North Korea—Focus on These Four Areas Instead
Kim Jong Un’s North Korea continues to make one provocative move after another: It keeps firing off missiles and detonating nuclear devices and recently used chemical weapons ...
By Jacob Stokes & Alexander Sullivan
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Russia and China’s Enduring Alliance
Several commentators, among them Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute and Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, have suggested that U.S. President...
By Jacob Stokes
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The Sino-Russo Rundown
Russia and China seem to be growing closer by the day. In May 2015, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Russia. As China’s official media opined at the time, “China and Russia a...
By Jacob Stokes & Alexander Sullivan
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Reforming the National Security Council: What the Next President Needs to Know
Last week, the Washington Post reported that the White House has just finished an extensive internal review and developed a plan to reshape the National Security Council (NSC)...
By Shawn Brimley, Julianne Smith & Jacob Stokes
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China's Road Rules
While the eyes of the world focus on China’s aggression in the seas to its east, China’s leaders are looking west. At the end of March, China’s National Development and Reform...
By Jacob Stokes
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Just Another Likely Russian Tactical Move
The cease-fire agreed to on Thursday by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France might represent a positive step on the road toward ending the year-long conflict in ...
By Jacob Stokes
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Obama's National Security Strategy: A Policy of ‘Sustainment’
Perhaps the most important function of any National Security Strategy (NSS) comes in articulating an administration’s worldview, rather than detailing a specific to-do list. T...
By Jacob Stokes
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The Real U.S.-Iran Dilemma: What Happens After a Nuclear Deal?
There is a fierce debate in both the United States and Iran about the possible implications of a nuclear agreement for broader relations between the two states after thirty-fi...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Jacob Stokes & Nicholas Heras
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The New Arab Cold War
A bitter proxy war is being waged in the Middle East. It stretches from Iraq to Lebanon and reaches into North Africa, taking lives in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt's Western Des...
By Jacob Stokes
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Linking U.S. Statecraft to Grand Strategy
Americans – both elites and the public – are currently engaged in a heated debate about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy. As we outlined in our previous piece, the ...
By Julianne Smith & Jacob Stokes
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How America Must Lead
Recently, foreign policy watchers have been engaged in a frantic bout of hand-wringing over whether America will continue to play the role of global leader. Amid that discussi...
By Jacob Stokes & Julianne Smith
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Obama Needs a New National Security Strategy
When you work on the president’s national security staff, you never feel like there are enough hours in the day. Whether you are managing Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan or the So...
By Jacob Stokes & Julianne Smith
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The 7 Deadly Sins of Defense Spending: How the Pentagon can cut costs - and come out stronger
The Department of Defense faces a stark budgetary choice that will profoundly affect the future of the U.S. military. During past drawdowns, DOD chose to save money by cutting...
By Jacob Stokes, Joel Smith, Katherine Kidder, Nora Bensahel, David W. Barno & USA (Ret.)