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.

Subscribe

Inflection Points with Frederick Kempe podcast

Content

Inflection Points

Apr 18, 2021

Why growing Chinese-Russian common cause poses Biden’s nightmare

By Frederick Kempe

This past week, Russia and China simultaneously escalated their separate military activities and threats to the sovereignty of Ukraine and Taiwan respectively. This unfolding great power drama couldn’t come at a worse time for the Biden administration. Yet that is probably the point for Putin and Xi, as they look to gain advantage before Biden can secure surer footing through policy reviews and by staffing up key leadership positions.

China Crisis Management

Inflection Points

Apr 11, 2021

Biden’s start reflects audacious domestic and global ambitions

By Frederick Kempe

Biden’s boldness in his first one hundred days can be measured most graphically by the numbers: the four trillion dollars and counting that he hopes to generate to finance an American pandemic rebound, a surge in US jobs and growth, and a mountain of national infrastructure investments.

China Economy & Business

Inflection Points

Mar 21, 2021

Boris Johnson transforms ‘Global Britain’ slogan into an inspiring strategic plan

By Frederick Kempe

Has British Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally found his country the global role that has eluded it since it lost its empire? Or is the country's newly unveiled strategy an insufficient cover for the historic Brexit blunder that will forever stain his legacy?

Politics & Diplomacy Security & Defense

Inflection Points

Mar 14, 2021

The China-Russia moonshot is one more reason for Biden to rethink his Putin strategy

By Frederick Kempe

Moscow sees its space future with China and not the United States, further underscoring its growing strategic alignment with Beijing. The Biden administration must reflect on how the latest Sino-Russian collaboration should be factored into its emerging approach to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Arms Control Russia

Inflection Points

Mar 7, 2021

Who will organize the world? That’s what’s at stake in the Biden-Xi contest.

By Frederick Kempe

If Biden’s vision is for the United States to create a band of reinvigorated democratic sisters and brothers, inspired by the country’s revitalization, Xi’s vision is for a world where each country’s political system, culture, and society are its own business. Will either view come out on top?

China International Norms

Inflection Points

Feb 28, 2021

Why the US can’t afford to fall behind in the global digital currency race

By Frederick Kempe

The Federal Reserve worries about being too hasty in introducing a digital dollar, given the stakes as the world’s reserve currency. The greater geopolitical danger, however, is how quickly the Fed is falling behind.

China Digital Currencies

Inflection Points

Feb 21, 2021

Biden’s ‘inflection point’ for democracies poses historic challenge for the US and allies

By Frederick Kempe

The Biden administration will need to develop a far more creative, intensive, and collaborative give-and-take approach to its Asian and European allies than perhaps ever before. Galvanizing international common cause has seldom been this important, but it also perhaps has never been this difficult.

China Crisis Management

Inflection Points

Feb 7, 2021

Why ‘The Longer Telegram’ triggered such a fierce, global China debate

By Frederick Kempe

The 26,000-word paper has served as a sort of Rorschach test for the expert community on China. The reactions have ranged between critiques from those who found the paper’s prescriptions too provocative, to praise from those who lauded its ground-breaking contributions.

China Politics & Diplomacy

Inflection Points

Jan 31, 2021

A bold new China proposal for Biden: Draw red lines and focus on Xi

By Frederick Kempe

The author’s hope is that this paper would be an important step “toward a new American China strategy” that would include ten key elements outlined in the paper, ranging from addressing domestic economic and institutional weaknesses to full coordination with major allies so that all significant action is taken in unity in response to China.

China Politics & Diplomacy

Inflection Points

Jan 24, 2021

It’s Joe Biden’s America, but could it be Xi Jinping’s world?

By Frederick Kempe

As Joe Biden’s presidency enters its first one hundred days, he can’t take his eyes off Xi Jinping's efforts to leverage the anniversary of the first one hundred years of the CCP’s power. Biden faces a wide array of international challenges, but this contest will be the one that will define his place in history—and whether democracy or authoritarianism will be the ascendant system for the future.

China Elections
Load More