AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
AEI This Week
AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
FLEXING HARD POWER
Assessing the Venezuela Raid
January 10, 2026
On January 3, the United States launched military strikes against Venezuela, removing President Nicolás Maduro from power and apprehending him for trial in the US. As the Trump administration works to determine the future of the country, Hal Brands analyzes ([link removed] ) the broader strategic and geopolitical implications of this novel use of American power.
AP26004470170998 ([link removed] )
One of the difficulties of assessing the economic balance of power between the United States and China is the Communist regime’s manipulation of GDP statistics. In a new AEI report, Derek Scissors creates ([link removed] ) new estimates of Chinese national wealth that point to the weaker reality behind Beijing’s official narrative.
In the US on the other hand, narratives of a hollowed-out middle class frequently misrepresent our own economic performance. In a new AEI report, AEI Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Director Scott Winship and Stephen J. Rose reveal ([link removed] ) that the only reason America’s core middle class has shrunk is because more families are moving into the upper-middle class.
Since December, national attention has been focused on the more than $1 billion in welfare fraud perpetrated in Minnesota under the noses of Minnesota’s Democratic state government. Writing in The New York Times, Ruy Teixeira warns ([link removed] ) that this issue could be a massive political vulnerability for Democrats if they don’t get serious about ensuring welfare benefits only go to those who “work hard and play by the rules.”
The rise of populism has displaced conservatism’s predominance on the American right—proponents of individual liberty, free markets, and American leadership now find themselves as just one faction within a broader political coalition. Writing in Financial Times, Michael R. Strain makes clear ([link removed] ) where conservatives can constructively work with populists—and where they can’t.
Rebuilding Ukraine’s Cities: Maximizing Benefits and Minimizing Costs
Once the war is over, how should Ukraine rebuild its cities? In a new working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, leading urban economist Edward L. Glaeser and coauthors develop ([link removed] ) a theoretical framework for maximizing the benefits and reducing the costs of Ukraine’s rebuilding effort. They argue Ukraine should embrace the westward development of its economy and population and avoid rebuilding prewar regional patterns. They propose three strategies for reducing costs: reducing regulatory barriers for foreign contractors and Ukrainian firms, standardizing housing and infrastructure construction, and making long-term investments in infrastructure and energy supply. Lastly, they identify steps researchers can take to develop these insights and provide the Ukrainian government and economy with even more detailed guidance.
More from AEI
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Things Worth Remembering: Orwell Saw This Coming ([link removed] )
Charles Lane | The Free Press
New Evidence on the Growing Generosity (and Instability) of Medicare Drug Coverage ([link removed] )
Benedic N. Ippolito | AEIdeas
Zohran Mamdani’s Call for Warm "Collectivism" Is Dead on Arrival ([link removed] )
Jonah Goldberg | Los Angeles Times
Testing the Cassidy–Kaine “Big Idea” Social Security Plan ([link removed] )
Andrew G. Biggs | Little-Known Facts
The International Costs of Chinese Use of Force Against Taiwan ([link removed] )
Zack Cooper | German Marshall Fund of the United States
PODCASTS AND VIDEOS
What Is the Primary Problem? ([link removed] )
Kevin R. Kosar and Nick Troiano | Understanding Congress
Elections Galore ([link removed] )
Jay Cost and Sean Trende | Stubborn Things
What Is Next for Venezuela? Roger Noriega Explains. ([link removed] )
Danielle Pletka et al. | What the Hell Is Going On?
The Fear and Weakness at the Heart of Trump’s Strategy ([link removed] )
Kori Schake | The Foreign Affairs Interview
Tackling Higher Education’s Challenges: A Conversation with Frederick M. Hess and Brandeis University President Arthur Levine ([link removed] )
Frederick M. Hess | AEI event
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Here is the reality. Congress has given the president a gargantuan global military force with few constraints and is AWOL in overseeing what the president does with it. Courts won’t get involved in reviewing unilateral presidential uses of force.
—Jack Goldsmith ([link removed] )
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