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

Sep 17, 2023

On China, grant the US the wisdom to distinguish between what it can and cannot change

By Frederick Kempe

In crafting its strategy on managing its relations with China, the United States should begin with a geopolitical serenity prayer.

China Elections

Inflection Points

Jul 15, 2023

Dispatch from Vilnius: Inside a NATO Summit of high drama on Ukraine—and historic opportunity

By Frederick Kempe

The fireworks were unusual in a consensus-driven Alliance that values decorum and discretion. But the summit still yielded several strategic wins.

Conflict NATO

Inflection Points

Jul 9, 2023

Dispatch from Vilnius: Will Zelenskyy show at the summit? It depends on whether Biden listens to frontline NATO allies.

By Frederick Kempe

Central European officials say the US has held up a fast track to NATO membership for Ukraine. That would be a mistake.

Conflict Eastern Europe
Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Atlantic Council Chairman John F. W. Rogers

Inflection Points

Jun 4, 2023

Dispatch from Kyiv: Ukraine deserves NATO membership and even more robust weapons

By Frederick Kempe

An Atlantic Council delegation's trip to Kyiv this week highlighted how important additional support is to Ukraine.

Conflict Eastern Europe

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
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