John, 

Each month, we bring you an update on Mike’s latest work on the issues that are driving conversations around the globe. 

Here’s what’s happened since our last edition.

Bottom Line: “If I was an enemy of America trying to exploit one of our biggest weaknesses, certainly I would look at the open southern border and the porousness there and try to exploit that to create chaos.”

Bottom Line: “It’s possible that Xi will survey the world, see that the U.S. looks weak, that we’re consumed with two regional wars, and that he may never get a better chance to achieve his life-long ambition of taking Taiwan.” 

Bottom Line: “The bipartisan leaders of an influential congressional committee have urged the Biden administration to do more to crack down on the import of goods linked to Chinese forced labor, including by potentially ramping up criminal prosecutions and closing a trade loophole used by e-commerce companies Shein and Temu.”

Bottom Line: “The recent closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a large logistics facility in Hawaii holding critical stores of fuel, has added to this inherent geographical challenge. In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s historic military buildup, creating a viable, long-term plan to redistribute Red Hill’s fuel is a strategic imperative.”

Thank you for reading this month’s edition of the Foreign Policy Newsletter –– we’ll be in touch as we monitor developing stories from around the globe.