Europe: Trump v. Harris

Kamala Devi Harris will be the first post-pandemic president of the United States. Unless, of course, she loses to the guy who was a failed pandemic leader.

Covid-19 changed the world. We are more digitally connected. We grew to understand how interdependent our world is and how reliant we are on Greek ships and container cargo. We learned that China could lock down and take over a remonstrating Hong Kong without firing a shot or taking much guff. Moscow made a run for Kyiv. All this between 2020 and 2022. READ MORE

California’s Stifled Voice on Foreign Policy

California’s technological and demographic power is unmistakable, with one notable exception: We’re underrepresented in shaping foreign policy in Congress. That is bad for us and the country because California’s Pacific perspective, born of 840 miles of coastline and a wave of immigration from across the Pacific and around the Pacific rim, is crucial. Too often, D.C. policymakers overemphasize the importance of issues in Europe and the Middle East and frequently misunderstand or underappreciate threats and opportunities in the more distant Indo-Pacific. READ MORE

Candidates can’t forget that international tensions come to roost in the U.S., too

The presidential debate Tuesday devolved into a political food fight, where assaulting speech became a verbal pie in the public’s face. Lost in the noise was any calm substance or serious questions about foreign policy.

The 21st century debate now produces more heat than light. These exercises allow candidates to target a sliver of Americans in a handful of states who somehow remain undecided. More important, they aim to excite and motivate the majority of already decided voters to go mark their ballots.

Debates are not ideological jousts about America’s role in the world. They are mostly focused on domestic challenges. The new twist in 2020? An incumbent president unbecomingly used the platform to launch wild attacks on his opponent instead of telling, for example, Russia’s Vladimir Putin to stuff it. READ MORE