At a time when free trade deals are seen as toxic across the political spectrum, President Joe Biden has promised a “worker-centered trade policy” that aims to create domestic jobs. But from the beginning, his administration’s approach has been met with a great deal of skepticism both from domestic critics and U.S. trade partners.
The BRICS group has long sought to challenge Western domination of technologies and infrastructures. Now, cooperation on artificial intelligence is increasingly on its radar. Provided the group aligns its members’ approaches to AI through its new initiatives, its role in international AI governance is poised to expand.
Congressional hearings on the Biden administration’s controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 have become a renewed focal point for political narratives about blame. But they also create an opportunity to consider counterfactual hypothetical scenarios that could expand our understanding of the U.S failure in Afghanistan.
Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill with overwhelming bipartisan support requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell off the app or face a ban in the United States. The concerns are ostensibly about security, but the potential ban is also about a lot more than the app itself.
Though notably quiet this year, China’s annual legislative “two sessions” were still helpful in confirming the direction of Beijing’s economic policies under President Xi Jinping. Rather than implement economic reforms, China will double down on manufacturing and exports, a decision that may exacerbate existing trade tensions.
In the days immediately following Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Southeast Asian states mainly reacted either by expressing solidarity with Israel or expressing sympathy and trying to avoid taking sides in the conflict. Now, more than five months later, much of Southeast Asia has turned more sharply against Israel.
Washington and Beijing have repeatedly stated their desire to prevent their relations from veering into a severe crisis or conflict. One way of doing this is for each side to offer credible assurances that it won’t threaten the most vital interests of the other. Unfortunately, despite some initial efforts, neither side has done so.
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to establish France and Europe as the world’s “third pole of stability” by building bridges with Global South countries. But his credibility is undermined by his consistently demonstrated inability to attend to France’s own Global South—its overseas departments, regions and collectivities.
In August 2023, the U.S., Japan and South Korea agreed on a framework for trilateral cooperation to usher in a “new era” in relations among the three countries. The Camp David Principles are significant, but how meaningful they end up being will depend on whether the agreed-upon cooperative mechanisms can deliver practical results.
In response to the success of Chinese electric vehicle, or EV, exports, the U.S. and Europe have opened investigations into Chinese automakers, focusing on aspects of the competition that are deemed unfair or unsafe. But another reason for concern over imports of Chinese-made EVs is so far neglected: human rights violations.