Happy Thursday! In today’s newsletter, we explore the emerging class divide in American friendships, the cost of an “Asia First” foreign policy, and the politicization of academic associations.

Edited by Sutton Houser and James Desio

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Topline: AEI’s Daniel Cox and Samuel Pressler find Americans’ social networks have not bounced back from the global pandemic. The percentage of Americans reporting no close friendships increased from 12% in 2021 to 17% in 2024. Additionally, Cox and Pressler identify a growing educational gap in the size of friendship circles.

• Data show that 24% of Americans with a high school diploma or less education report having no close friends, compared to 10% of college graduates.

• Similarly, 17% of Americans without a college degree have at least six close friends, compared to 33% of college graduates.

• This educational gap is even wider among black Americans: 35% of black Americans without a college degree report having no close friends, compared to just 11% with a college degree.

The Problem: Cox and Pressler point out that financial strain and declining membership in three institutions—marriage, religious organizations, and labor unions—have likely contributed to the decline in social ties among Americans without college educations.

Topline: Ahead of the election, AEI’s Hal Brands explores the growing debate among Republicans about whether the US should pull back from conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine to focus on the threat from China. While “Asia Firsters” aptly argue the US is unprepared for a conflict with China, Brands points out that focusing only on China is not a real solution.

State of Affairs: Brands writes that stagnant defense budgets, insufficient munitions stockpiles, and a comparatively weak shipbuilding industry risk leaving the US military unprepared for a conflict. China, on the other hand, is ramping up its defense spending.

But . . . Brands warns that withdrawing from Europe and the Middle East would weaken America’s global position and reduce its ability to compete with China.

Topline: Though academic associations’ narrow charge is scholarly advancement, Jay Greene and AEI’s Fredrick Hess report that many of them now operate like political entities.

• After reviewing 99 academic associations, Greene and Hess found that 81% have declared at least one official position on an issue like race and affirmative action, conflict in Europe and the Middle East, immigration, or climate change. These public statements largely reflect progressive viewpoints.

• Additionally, they estimate that public colleges and universities spend nearly $200 million annually subsidizing faculty involvement with these politicized organizations.