Bruce Riedel considers President Biden's decision to leave Afghanistan, writing that while it's the right move, it's also a "big gamble" that will have "particularly serious consequences for Pakistani behavior."
Separately in a piece for Just Security, Kemal Kirişci and Fulya Memisoglu argue that the decision risks a mass exodus of refugees fleeing Afghanistan that could spark another migration crisis.
In the eleventh edition of our quarterly evaluation of U.S.-European relations, experts see relations trending positively on political and security issues, while opinions over specific issues, such as Nord Stream 2, are split.
In a new report, Robert Hale examines the creation, evolution, and criticisms of the Pentagon’s Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES), arguing that it has many useful features that should be retained but needs some improvements.
"There's a high probability...Afghanistan will be much worse off. What he's doing is a giant roll of the dice. None of us really know. But we do know, we can be pretty confident if he'd stayed, it probably could have kept things from completely collapsing, at least for a time."
China strategy. What we have learned from Biden's first 100 days is that we are likely to have both a confrontational and competitive relationship with China, similar to Trump’s policy but with some important nuances, writes David Dollar.
Handling Russia.Steven Pifer posits that in President Biden's first 100 days, he has correctly laid out the possibility of some positive engagement with Russia where it advances U.S. interests along with measures holding Moscow accountable for misbehavior.
Pandemic diplomacy. In The Atlantic,Thomas Wright urges that, given missteps with India, the Biden administration needs to demonstrate a more agile approach in managing the pandemic globally and in navigating the domestic politics of foreign policy.
International affairs
Chadian security. Alexandre Marcexplains why the sudden death of Chad's president creates a dangerous vacuum in Central Africa and the Sahel and recommends what the United States and Europe should do to counter the crisis.
Cannabis legalization in Mexico.Vanda Felbab-Brown examines whether Mexico's move to legalize cannabis is likely to eliminate the black market, deprive violent criminal groups of money, and reduce criminal violence.
Protecting Taiwan. In light of China's mounting threats against Taiwan, Michael O'Hanlon argues for an integrated, asymmetric strategy for the U.S. to protect Taiwan against Chinese aggression.
Global R&D. On an episode of the Dollar & Sense podcast, Britta Glennon joins David Dollar to explain what's behind the growth in overseas research and development, which countries have become new hubs for investments, and the national security implications of this trend.
The G-20. The G-20 is a promising forum for addressing U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, writes Colin Bradford; strengthening the G-20 and engaging with, rather than avoiding these tensions, could empower global governance to meet the challenges of the 2020s.
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