Democracy's Fail-Safe

The south façade of the White House at dusk in Washington, DC. (Brooks Kraft/ Getty Images)

In a time of political unrest and poisonous division – most recently seen in the attack on the Capitol – the Electoral College has proved a steadfast guardian of democracy, writes Chris DeMuth in the Wall Street Journal. While a national popular vote would have given rein to the divisions of a stressed-out nation, the Electoral College consolidated and steadied a raucous, unsettled political situation. Succession is a difficult problem in a fractious democracy, but no one has come up with a better approach than the dispersed local stewardship embodied in the Electoral College. It stands as one of our strongest defenses against the centralization of power in the federal and administrative state.

NEW REPORT:
Countering Global Kleptocracy

Ruling elites in China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela are the most prolific abusers of the global financial system, melding authoritarianism and corruption into a pervasive international threat. In a new report and set of policy recommendations, Nate Sibley and Ben Judah lay out the methods of bribery, sanctions evasion, technology theft, terrorism financing and other criminal activities used by corrupt officials to further their ambitions. Sibley and Judah provide a policy blueprint for achieving what the U.S. now urgently needs: A comprehensive strategy for confronting authoritarian kleptocracy, methods for targeting corruption overseas, and ways to end America’s current status as a magnet for dirty money.

NEW POLICY MEMO:
Protecting Medical Innovation

Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center on December 20, 2020 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. (Paul Sancya - Pool/Getty Images)

The United States’ position as a leader in medical innovation is built on a culture that favors saving lives over reducing costs and encourages private sector investment in R&D. In a new policy memo, Tom Duesterberg examines whether the Biden administration will continue the policies which have strengthened the U.S. pharmaceutical sector in recent decades, or if the administration’s policies will set the U.S. on a path to a European-style medical ecosystem that stunts the development of new medical products.

Keep an Eye on Taiwan

Military parade on National Day in Taipei, Taiwan on October 10, 2020.  Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech promising to strengthen national defenses and work closely with its regional partners on matters of security. (Annabelle Chih/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement last week that he’s lifting restrictions on meetings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials will enrage Beijing, but the impact on Taiwan’s security is harder to judge, writes Walter Russell Mead in the Wall Street Journal. President-elect Biden, unfortunately, inherits a situation in which the basis of the old compromise has weakened. For its part, China has launched one of the greatest military buildups in the history of the world across the straits from Taiwan. Coupled with the artificial islands and military buildup in the South China Sea, it’s clear Beijing has been systematically seeking to create the conditions for a successful invasion of Taiwan. China is closer to this goal than many Americans realize. 

Biden's EU Trade Headache

German Chancellor Angela Merkel conducts a video meeting with PLA Chairman Xi Jinping on September 14, 2020. (Photo by Sandra Steins - Pool/Getty Images)

Europe's growing reliance on China for energy and export markets will make any progress on the Biden alliance program a difficult task, writes Thomas Duesterberg in Forbes. Led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU's latest trade deal will favor economic cooperation with China, its largest trading partner, over the security and technology leadership priorities articulated first by the Trump administration.

BEFORE YOU GO...

The United States' national security rests on a foundation of software, writes Bryan Clark and Dan Patt in C4ISR. This fact was recently reinforced by Russia’s supply chain attack that breached more than 18,000 U.S. organizations and accessed Microsoft’s source code, Treasury files, and government public health data. The U.S. military needs to evolve its processes for buying integrated hardware/software products or risk losing the adaptability required to deter bad actors.