Editor's note: This Week in Foreign Policy will be going on a brief hiatus, you can look for the next edition in your inbox on January 8, 2021. Happy Holidays!
"The world needs a more powerful and purposeful trans-Atlantic alliance to drive a new global agenda," as American and European former government officials and experts write in a new report. Constanze Stelzenmüller distills the takeaways.
Following the release of the Trump administration's National Space Policy, Michael Sinclair outlines the document's key details, including how it might affect the commercial space boom.
Philip Breedlove and Michael O'Hanlon urge that war does not have to be the future for the Black Sea, noting that military support is just one of America's tools for engagement in the region.
China's economy.David Dollar analyzes the domestic and international challenges for China's economic growth outlook and explains how domestic reforms can improve its relations with the United States and other advanced economies.
U.S.-Taiwan ties. The Biden administration's "substance over symbolism" approach to foreign policy could could help further elevate the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, Eric Yu-Chua Huang says.
The Middle East and North Africa
A new approach to Israel-Palestine. Summarizing the takeaways from a new report, Tamara Cofman Wittes writes that today's realities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict mean the United States should focus on taking tangible steps, rather than grand gestures.
Morocco and Israel.Yasmina Abouzzohour explains the far-reaching domestic and international implications of the partial normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel, which comes on the heels of other normalization deals.
Assad's legacy. After 50 years of Assadist rule in Syria, the family's legacy is one of devastation, with Bashar Assad sitting "atop the wreckage of a country," writes Steven Heydemann.
COVID-19
Organized crime.Vanda Felbab-Brown warns of the threat of criminals subverting the fight against COVID-19, with organized crime networks targeting vaccines and antibody tests.
ASEAN economic recovery. In Southeast Asia, small- and medium-sized enterprises have been particularly hard-hit by COVID-19; ASEAN members must work together on economic recovery, writes Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit.
International affairs
War powers. Michael O'Hanlon and Amy McGrath caution: "Since World War II, the executive branch has usurped war-making powers," and contend that Congress must undertake major, comprehensive new legislation around the use of force.
"Muslim engagement" activities. The new U.S. administration should appeal to Muslim communities around the world through the substance of its policies rather than awkward and misplaced public relations schemes, argues Peter Mandaville.
The Christchurch attack.Daniel Byman analyzes New Zealand's recent report on the 2019 terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques, which provides key lessons for all countries in the crosshairs of terrorists.
Democracy assistance. Shoring up "citizen-centered governance" is central to addressing many threats to democracy around the world, argue Patrick Quirk and Eguiar Lizundia.
Hacking campaign. On an episode of The Current podcast, Tarah Wheeler explains how federal agencies were breached as part of a hacking campaign tied to Russia, and what the incoming administration can do to increase U.S. cybersecurity.
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