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Trump Trapped

Donald Trump has always considered himself exceptional—that is, an exception to the rules. As a tycoon, he has demonstrated that multiple bankruptcies and an utter contempt for business associates have not hindered his accumulation of wealth. As a politician, he has shown that the same outrageous statements and scandals that have sunk other careers have… Continue reading Trump Trapped

Japan and South Korea: An Alliance of Middle Powers

It has long been the dream of the U.S. foreign policy elite to bring Japan and South Korea into a tighter alliance. Notoriously dismissive of history, American leaders don’t understand why the two countries can’t just overcome their past differences. For these Americans, the imperative of strengthened security in the region is so much more… Continue reading Japan and South Korea: An Alliance of Middle Powers

Pete Hegseth’s Invasions

This week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was on hand in Normandy for the eighty-second anniversary of the D-Day invasion. He made the usual remarks about U.S. dedication to defending freedom, just as he did last year on a similar occasion. This time around, however, Hegseth veered off into controversial territory. Not that you can… Continue reading Pete Hegseth’s Invasions

Saving the Planet Depends on Asia

Early adopters pay a premium for their embrace of innovation. If you bought one of the first electric cars in the United States, you had limited range, long charging times, and very little infrastructure to support you on anything but the shortest journeys. If you’d held out just a little bit longer, you could have… Continue reading Saving the Planet Depends on Asia

What Can North Korea Tell Us about America’s Future?

Ever since North Korea suffered through the death of its first leader in 1994, a loss magnified by an economic collapse and a devastating famine, outside observers have likened the country to an airplane experiencing a serious malfunction. The major question they posed: in the end, would North Korea experience a soft landing or a… Continue reading What Can North Korea Tell Us about America’s Future?

Russia and North Korea: An Alliance of Desperation

The Kremlin can count on only one real ally in its war in Ukraine. Belarus has offered its territory for the staging of the war, and China has provided some dual-use exports that certainly contribute to the war effort. But only one country has sent a significant number of troops to fight alongside the Russians:… Continue reading Russia and North Korea: An Alliance of Desperation

Digging Up North Korea’s Christian Roots

In the summer of 1998, I traveled to the northeast region of China to visit a unique educational institution. The Yanbian University of Science and Technology (YUST), founded six years before, was the first private and the first foreign university to emerge under Chinese communism. Located in a region populated by many Korean-Chinese, YUST trained… Continue reading Digging Up North Korea’s Christian Roots

The Airbrushing of Climate Change

When Stalin wanted to get rid of someone, he didn’t just have them executed with a shot to the back of the head. He attempted to remove the offending person from history as well by excising their name from encyclopedias and airbrushing their image from photographs. In one infamous photo of two dozen Communist leaders… Continue reading The Airbrushing of Climate Change

Why Russia’s Backwardness Benefits Putin

The source of Russia’s global power derives not from sophisticated technology, an advanced service sector, or a cadre of entrepreneurs. Russia’s power is almost entirely backward-looking. Its geopolitical position rests on a base of prehistoric vegetation. That vegetation, of course, has ended up as Russia’s reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal. About one-quarter of the… Continue reading Why Russia’s Backwardness Benefits Putin

Where on Earth Is Europe Heading?

To figure out the future trajectory of Europe, Bulgaria is as good a place as any to start. On the edge of the European Union bordering Turkey and the Black Sea, the Balkan nation is, as of 2014, one of the newest members of the union. It is also the poorest EU member, and one of… Continue reading Where on Earth Is Europe Heading?