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 Today

Oct 25, 2024

The Modi-Xi fence-mending is a sign of the times

By Frederick Kempe

The recent meeting between the Chinese leader and the Indian prime minister in Russia reveals a lot about the current geopolitical landscape.

China India

Inflection Points

Oct 19, 2024

The US is electing a wartime president

By Frederick Kempe

Neither US presidential candidate has yet addressed the generational challenge posed by closer collaboration among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Elections National Security

Inflection Points

Oct 15, 2024

Dispatch from Istanbul: My week navigating the Turkish ‘swing state’

By Frederick Kempe

Discussions on the sidelines of the Atlantic Council’s recent Regional Conference on Clean and Secure Energy in Istanbul offer an important window into Turkish views of the world.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Inflection Points Today

Oct 10, 2024

China’s economic reforms near the ‘end of the line’

By Frederick Kempe

Xi Jinping doesn’t believe in the market or economically sensible reforms, and thus investors shouldn’t believe in him. New Atlantic Council research puts this in stark relief.

China Economy & Business

Inflection Points

Oct 9, 2024

Israel’s dramatic gains on Iran present a historic chance—and enormous risks

By Frederick Kempe

Israel may now have “escalation dominance” over Iran and its proxies, but a new bipartisan Atlantic Council report underscores why both Israel and the United States need a strong and long-term strategy for dealing with Tehran.

Conflict Iran

Inflection Points

Oct 1, 2024

The Israeli offensive and Iranian missile attack test two visions for the Middle East’s future

By Frederick Kempe

One vision is driven by Iran and its proxies. The other seeks to counter and contain Iran and lay the groundwork for the eventual emergence of a dynamic, peaceful, modernizing Middle East.

Conflict Iran

Inflection Points Today

Sep 30, 2024

Zelenskyy and the challenge of navigating election-year America

By Frederick Kempe

The Ukrainian president’s recent fraught visit to the US underscored both the historic stakes of the election and the perils involved in maneuvering around the parties.

Elections Politics & Diplomacy

Inflection Points

Sep 28, 2024

The US confronts two global threats: China-Russia and itself

By Frederick Kempe

The disruptive dangers of the Chinese-Russian combination can only be contested and contained by steady, confident, far-sighted US leadership alongside partners and allies.

China Conflict
The "Reporters at Risk" series mobilized support for Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in Russia and eventually released.

Inflection Points

Sep 21, 2024

How the Atlantic Council contributed to Evan Gershkovich’s release

By Frederick Kempe

An encounter at the Global Citizen Awards played a modest but vital role in the exchange that released the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned in Russia.

Freedom and Prosperity International Norms

Inflection Points

Sep 17, 2024

Biden shouldn’t ‘throw away his shot’ at a foreign policy legacy. It starts with Ukraine.

By Frederick Kempe

Biden’s excessive caution on aiding Ukraine could squander his best chance at leaving behind a positive foreign policy legacy.

Ukraine United States and Canada
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