Content

Inflection Points

Jun 14, 2020

The perils of transatlantic decoupling and how to stop it

By Frederick Kempe

It’s time to take urgent measures to head off the danger of “transatlantic decoupling,” a strategic shift that would put at risk more than seven decades of gains in democracy, open markets and individual rights. Two world wars have taught us where transatlantic neglect can lead, while the history of the past 75 years underscores the value of common cause. We forget those lessons at our peril.

Europe & Eurasia Nationalism

Inflection Points

Jun 7, 2020

Why U.S. global leadership rests on how it manages anti-racism upheavals

By Frederick Kempe

U.S. credibility as a global leader depends on how it manages anti-racism upheavals. Americans have a shot at proving Martin Luther King right that the long arc of the moral universe once again “bends toward justice.”

Inclusive Growth Political Reform

Issue Brief

Jun 1, 2020

Executive summary: The virus and global order

By Jeffrey Cimmino, Matthew Kroenig, and Barry Pavel

The COVID-19 pandemic is having dramatic effects on everyday life, but its geopolitical implications could prove to be even more profound. The pandemic is exacerbating and unleashing pressure points in the global order, including intensified US-China competition, that could fundamentally reshape geopolitics.

China Coronavirus

Issue Brief

Jun 1, 2020

Taking stock: Where are geopolitics headed in the COVID-19 era?

By Jeffrey Cimmino, Matthew Kroenig, and Barry Pavel

The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed pressure points in the global order and threatens to unravel the rules-based international system. This paper examines the geopolitical implications of the pandemic by identifying key strategic shocks and tensions exacerbated by the virus. It also identifies uncertainties for the global order and provides policy recommendations for how the United States and its allies should address the pandemic.

China Coronavirus

Inflection Points

May 23, 2020

Special China edition: Hong Kong is just one of President Xi’s many high-stakes bets

By Frederick Kempe

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s apparent rolling of the dice on Hong Kong is just one of his many calculated wagers aimed at greater domestic control, regional influence and global gain. Here are just three potential elements for a new American strategy equal to our times.

China Politics & Diplomacy

Inflection Points

May 16, 2020

Here’s how to use tech to turn COVID-19 tragedy into “a global immune system”

By Frederick Kempe

It’s not too late for the United States – driven by the cutting-edge capabilities of its technology companies – to leverage the coronavirus tragedy into a historic opportunity. It would be built around scientifically novel but increasingly available means to prevent future pandemics through constructing a “global immune system.” It may seem hopelessly naïve to expect an even more ambitious degree of global collaboration now, but history’s lesson is that the alternatives are horrifying.

China Coronavirus

Inflection Points

May 10, 2020

Here’s why the EU project, age 70, must win the pandemic test

By Frederick Kempe

On this week’s 70th anniversary of the European Union’s beginnings with the Schuman Declaration, the project that was launched to end centuries of war is in an existential struggle with a pathogen that knows no borders. It’s however not too late for the EU to demonstrate its resilience and relevance at this time of crisis. On this 70th anniversary, it’s also worth remembering the common global and transatlantic interest in European stability and success.

Coronavirus European Union

Inflection Points

May 2, 2020

COVID-19 provides China a historic chance to tilt the world in its favor, but it may not last long

By Frederick Kempe

COVID-19 has provided a clarifying force revealing more clearly than ever before both the nature and relentlessness of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s ambition to place itself at the center of global power and influence. At the same time, the U.S. response to China has been inconsistent, lacking in long-term strategy and close coordination with allies.

China Coronavirus

Inflection Points

Apr 25, 2020

Here’s how the U.S. could lead energy rethink post-COVID-19

By Frederick Kempe

U.S. role as the world’s leading oil and gas producer doesn’t feel as empowering as it recently did, with oil prices heading into negative territory for the first time ever this week. Yet there is an opportunity in the oil industry’s unprecedented crisis – and in the further months of market volatility that will come with it. This period presents a chance for the United States to forge a better and more sustainable path to global energy leadership than can be found even within the vast riches of U.S. shale.

Energy Transitions International Markets