Xi Jinping – think tanks monitor

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump walking down a red carpet past a military honor guard.

US Munition Shortages Complicate Taiwan Deterrence

August 20, 2026

Ongoing military demands across Europe and the Middle East have severely depleted American missile and interceptor stockpiles, raising new questions for deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. While this temporary vulnerability does not give Beijing an invasion timetable, it risks intensifying Chinese military pressure. Discover why restoring long-term stability requires both rebuilding US defense inventories and accelerating Taiwan’s own resilience.

Donald Trump shaking hands with Xi Jinping.

Trump’s Taiwan Arms Gamble Is Rattling the Indo-Pacific

July 15, 2026

Senator Tammy Duckworth’s arrival in Taipei marks a critical response to recent shifts in U.S. policy. As Trump casts doubt on long-standing arms commitments, Duckworth is reframing Taiwan’s autonomy as a vital economic and strategic necessity, emphasizing its role in the global semiconductor supply chain to secure lasting bipartisan support.

Political cartoon showing Uncle Sam holding a broken umbrella labeled US-India Cooperation while holding a club labeled Tariffs, facing an angry elephant representing India.

India’s Delicate Dance Between Washington and Beijing

July 11, 2026

As global dynamics shift, India is rebalancing its foreign policy by thawing relations with China while expressing caution over American unpredictability. By prioritizing strategic autonomy over zero-sum alliances, New Delhi is navigating an increasingly fractured world order to protect its national interests and strengthen ties with the Global South.

Donald Trump walking alongside a Chinese official past a military honor guard.

US Taiwan Strategy Tested by Senator’s Visit

July 6, 2026

In a move to reaffirm U.S. commitments, Senator Tammy Duckworth has arrived in Taipei, becoming the first senator to visit following the recent Trump-Xi summit. Her mission aims to counter the administration’s hesitation on critical arms packages and underscore the vital, long-term security and economic partnership between the two nations.

A US official and an Indian official shaking hands at a podium.

India Is Done Being Washington’s Junior Partner

July 5, 2026

Following a challenging year marked by tariff disputes and shifting geopolitical priorities, Washington and New Delhi are moving to repair their strategic partnership. With a final trade agreement now near completion, both nations are reaffirming their commitment to deep economic and security cooperation.

Indian and Chinese officials sit across from each other at a long conference table.

India and China’s Fragile Thaw: Engagement Without Trust

July 4, 2026

Despite a cautious thaw in diplomacy, India-China relations remain defined by strategic mistrust. While both nations have resumed engagement to manage economic and border issues, significant challenges—including a massive trade imbalance and stalled de-escalation—persist, leaving the future of their fragile partnership uncertain.

BRICS National Security Advisers stand in a line for a group photo at a summit in New Delhi.

BRICS Is Building a Security Identity

July 4, 2026

As BRICS expands to include nearly half the world’s population, the bloc is moving beyond economics to focus on shared security challenges. By prioritizing practical cooperation over military alliances, members are finding new ways to navigate global instability.

Former President Donald Trump walking away from a podium with the White House seal in the background.

America Won Battles in Iran and May Have Lost Something Bigger

July 1, 2026

Despite the June 17 Memorandum of Understanding, the US-Iran conflict remains volatile. Recent retaliatory strikes have shattered the peace, raising concerns that the deal lacks the strategic depth to prevent a wider regional escalation or secure long-term stability in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

A hand holds a thick stack of U.S. dollar bills while other individual bills fly through the air against a light blue background.

The Numbers Behind America’s Soft Power Collapse

June 30, 2026

The concept of “soft power,” pioneered by Joseph Nye, is facing a historic reversal. As the United States sees its global reputation plummet in the 2026 indices, the erosion of its values-based influence and institutional legitimacy signals a deep, structural shift. Is the era of American global appeal reaching its end?

A close-up view of a high-performance NVIDIA computer chip mounted on a complex blue circuit board.

America’s Chip War Is Misfiring and Beijing Is Taking Notes

June 30, 2026

US export controls aimed at freezing China’s semiconductor progress have backfired. Instead of containment, these measures have spurred Beijing to aggressively scale domestic production. As the global tech landscape bifurcates, policymakers must now decide if current restrictions are protecting national security or simply eroding the revenue needed for American innovation.

An abstract digital art piece showing white silhouettes of drones and missiles over a circuit board pattern.

Why AI Killing Machines Won’t Spread as Fast as Feared

June 28, 2026

This analysis challenges the narrative that AI-powered warfare will proliferate rapidly. While the Iran conflict demonstrated the immense tactical impact of systems like Palantir’s Maven, the author argues that true operational AI targeting is constrained by extreme barriers to entry: massive data labeling requirements, reliance on high-end cloud infrastructure, and the need for a mature precision-munitions industry. By examining the Israeli “blueprint”—built on years of data integration, multibillion-dollar cloud contracts, and robust domestic arms manufacturing—the piece highlights why AI remains “brittle” and difficult to replicate. Contrasting this with the rapid spread of simpler autonomous drones, the article concludes that while AI-driven conflict is inevitable, the “killing machines” of popular imagination face significant technical and material bottlenecks that will dictate a much slower global adoption timeline.

An illustration of the planet Earth wrapped in red bands featuring the yellow stars of the Chinese flag.

China Wants to Run the World Order, Without Paying for It

June 28, 2026

China’s recent 45-page white paper, “More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions,” marks a significant shift in Beijing’s diplomatic strategy. Rather than seeking to overthrow existing institutions, the document proposes reforming them to grant greater influence to the Global South and prioritize multipolarity. By positioning itself as a defender of the UN-centered order, China is attempting to fill the rhetorical vacuum left by Washington’s selective disengagement. However, the white paper remains notably silent on major new financial commitments, raising questions about whether China is prepared to bear the material costs of the global order it aims to architect. This analysis examines China’s efforts to project normative power and the structural tensions between its rising global ambitions and domestic economic constraints.

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Tag: Xi Jinping

US Munition Shortages Complicate Taiwan Deterrence

Trump’s Taiwan Arms Gamble Is Rattling the Indo-Pacific

India’s Delicate Dance Between Washington and Beijing

US Taiwan Strategy Tested by Senator’s Visit

India Is Done Being Washington’s Junior Partner

India and China’s Fragile Thaw: Engagement Without Trust

BRICS Is Building a Security Identity

America Won Battles in Iran and May Have Lost Something Bigger

The Numbers Behind America’s Soft Power Collapse

America’s Chip War Is Misfiring and Beijing Is Taking Notes

Why AI Killing Machines Won’t Spread as Fast as Feared

China Wants to Run the World Order, Without Paying for It

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