Inflection Points

Inflection Points

A weekly column by Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe, Inflection Points focuses on the global challenges facing the United States and how to best address them.

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Inflection Points

May 21, 2023

G7 triumphs and the debt ceiling quagmire provide a glimpse into competing futures for US global leadership

By Frederick Kempe

A strong performance at the G7, juxtaposed with the United States' debt ceiling drama, highlights the challenges facing US international leadership.

China East Asia

Inflection Points

Apr 23, 2023

Three logical flaws stand in the way of a sufficient response to the Ukraine challenge

By Frederick Kempe

The West must make sacrifices in the present to secure the future.

China Conflict

Inflection Points

Mar 25, 2023

‘When we are together, we drive these changes.’ What Xi and Putin’s deepening alliance means for the world order.

By Frederick Kempe

At the three-day meeting this week in Moscow, the Russian president’s desperation met the Chinese leader’s opportunism. The visit marks an inflection point for global order.

China Conflict

Inflection Points

Feb 26, 2023

The value of Biden’s visit to Ukraine depends on the speed and scale of what follows

By Frederick Kempe

This isn’t a time for half-hearted measures. Now, the United States and its allies must recognize the existential stakes of the conflict and step up accordingly.

Conflict Eastern Europe
German Leopard 2 tank driving through mud, with Bundeswehr Iron Cross visible on the turret

Inflection Points

Jan 29, 2023

Found in translation: the deeper meaning of the German ‘Panzer’ for Ukraine and Europe

By Frederick Kempe

To understand the significance of Germany’s tank decision, it’s worth understanding the history and the emotion behind the word itself.

Conflict Eastern Europe

Inflection Points

Jan 21, 2023

Davos Dispatch: Why now is the time for a ‘Ukraine surge’: military, intelligence, economic and other support to defeat Putin

By Frederick Kempe

Despite the successes of the NATO summit, Russia's missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping mall put the brutality of Putin's war into stark relief.

Conflict Eastern Europe
Germany inaugurates Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal 'Deutsche Ostsee' in Lubmin

Inflection Points

Jan 14, 2023

Dispatch from Abu Dhabi: How to reduce carbon emissions without blocking progress

By Frederick Kempe

Despite the successes of the NATO summit, Russia's missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping mall put the brutality of Putin's war into stark relief.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

Inflection Points

Dec 4, 2022

Autocratic setbacks offer Biden his ‘inflection point’ for democracies

By Frederick Kempe

This year has been a tough one for the world’s worst authoritarians: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

China Conflict

Inflection Points

Oct 16, 2022

Wanted: Global leadership to meet this historic moment

By Frederick Kempe

There is growing consensus among global leaders regarding the gathering dangers and their historic stakes, but common action is falling far short of this generational challenge.

China Conflict

Inflection Points

Sep 18, 2022

As Putin escalates his war against Ukraine, the world faces a moment of maximum danger—and maximum opportunity

By Frederick Kempe

The United States and its allies must openly discuss the dangers Putin’s war poses to any sovereign country.

Conflict Eastern Europe
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