Science & Tech
Iranian, Russian, Chinese Media Push COVID-19 ‘Bioweapon’ Conspiracies
Disinformation about the coronavirus is spreading as quickly as the virus, thanks to the usual players.
Threats
Ep. 63: War in space
What might orbital war look like? How might it start, and how could it proceed?
Ideas
The World Is Experiencing a New Form of Autocracy
Today’s authoritarians use legal measures to subvert constitutional constraints on their power.
Ideas
America Must Shape the World’s AI Norms — or Dictators Will
Four former U.S. defense secretaries issue a warning about China and a wake-up call to Americans on artificial intelligence.
Threats
NATO Has ‘Growing Realization’ About Risks of Using Huawei Gear, Top General Says
But USAF’s Wolters offered no evidence that U.S. officials are persuading allies to shun Chinese 5G networking products.
Ideas
It’s Time to Talk About Taiwan
Washington’s longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity is increasingly likely to inflame the kind of crisis it was meant to deter.
Ideas
The West Can’t Even Agree on Itself, Much Less China
At the Munich Security Conference, allies argued with each other as much as their adversaries, rejecting Trump administration views on issue after issue.
Ideas
Trump Is Ill-Suited to Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak
A crisis that is heading into its third month could draw out every personal and managerial failing that the president has shown to this point.
Ideas
America Is Alone in Its Cold War With China
If the Trump administration is truly going all-in on competition with Beijing, it’s not clear that Trump himself is fully on board. Nor, it’s now clear, are several of America’s closest friends.
Ideas
China’s Chernobyl Never Seems to Arise
Democracy is unlikely to break out in Beijing, but the coronavirus crisis may create an opening for a softer form of authoritarianism.
Ideas
The US Doesn’t Need a New New START
There is no reason to believe that withdrawing from the current one would improve U.S. security.
Science & Tech
US Defense R&D Funding Falls As China’s Keeps Growing
2021 budget request would see Pentagon funding shrink from $64.5 billion to $59 billion.
Science & Tech
Chinese Military Officers Hacked Equifax, Justice Department Says
DOJ officials highlighted the theft of intellectual property and personal information in one of the biggest online thefts in history.
Ideas
How China Is Working to Quarantine the Truth About the Coronavirus
The authoritarian playbook — censor, distract, lie — is on full display.
Ideas
Overspending on the Pentagon Won’t Make Us Safer
We spend far more on the military than the countries we most fear, while shorting the things that would actually help us compete.
Ideas
How to Get the National Defense Strategy Out of Its Mideast Rut
We need less talk about why we need to leave, and more about why we need to compete elsewhere.
Ideas
As Coronavirus Spreads, China’s Military Is Largely MIA
The PLA’s anemic participation is odd given its past performance, planning, and pronouncements.
Ideas
Trump’s Bid to Go Big on Nuclear Arms Looks Like a Fizzle
Russia has no interest in negotiating from scratch. China has no interest in negotiating at all.
Ideas
Britain and America Have a China Problem
London’s and Washington’s differing assessments of Beijing’s rise point to deeper issues between the two countries.
Ideas