VIDEO: Why retribution against China for COVID-19 harms US interests | Responsible Statecraft

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Analysis | Asia-Pacific

As COVID-19 ravages America, some U.S. politicians are focusing their efforts on trying to punish the Chinese government through sanctions and other measures. The Quincy Institute's Rachel Esplin Odell explains that punitive action against Beijing right now will only undermine U.S. economic interests — after a month that saw more 22 million Americans lose their jobs. If U.S. officials are serious about punishing China, then the situation could quickly escalate out of control, costing untold lives and devastating the global economy. And how many countries in the world would really benefit from having to choose sides in a catastrophic Cold War between Beijing and Washington? Watch:

Analysis | Asia-Pacific

Why the intel community needs Tulsi (but is too blind to know it)

Top photo credit: Tulsi Gabbard in Congress, July 2018 (LindamozukuCreative Commons)

Why the intel community needs Tulsi (but is too blind to know it)

Washington Politics

As it weighs the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for the position of Director of National Intelligence, the United States Senate faces a fundamental choice: Should it reject those like Gabbard who challenge conventional wisdom, or should it recognize that sensibly questioning orthodox views is essential to avoid the kinds of intelligence and foreign policy failures we have experienced in such places as Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine?

The New York Times’ recent attack on Gabbard’s religious beliefs suggests that the foreign policy establishment is much more concerned about protecting its power than about the dangers of majoritarian intolerance that prompted the Bill of Rights. But disrespect for minority views and constitutional freedoms is exactly what most plagues our Intelligence Community (IC).

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Donald Trump

Top image credit: U.S. President Donald Trump makes a special address remotely during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

If Trump wants to 'denuclearize' then let's help him

Throughout his time in public life, Donald Trump has been nothing if not unpredictable. His public statements can be all over the map, and predicting which of them will be followed up with decisive action has been a losing proposition.

This time it may be different. In his first days in office he has released a torrent of executive orders designed to advance his stated agenda, from mass deportations to cleansing government programs of anything involving even a whiff of the so-called “woke agenda.”

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F-35

Top image credit: Brian G. Rhodes / Shutterstock.com

F-35 crashes same day Lockheed CEO touts its success

Military Industrial Complex

The CEO of the world’s largest weapons company, Lockheed Martin, and the manufacturer of the U.S. military’s most expensive weapon system, the F-35 stealth fighter jet, told investors on Tuesday that Israel’s attack on Iran’s air defenses last October helped to "demonstrate [the F-35’s] value here, through the Israel experience.”

Taiclet’s boasts to investors about the program were quickly tempered by real world events the same day when video circulated of an out of control Air Force F-35 tumbling to a fiery crash in Alaska, after its pilot ejected. An “inflight malfunction” led to the crash, said Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fight Wing, at a news conference. Townsend promised “a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.”

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Trump transition

Donald Trump air force one

The US will have a Happy New Year if Trump takes 4 pieces of advice

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