Counterbalance | Ep. 22: John Lee on China's Regional Strategies & Ambitions

In Epidode 22 of Counterbalance, Senior Fellow and former national security advisor to the Australian foreign minister John Lee sat down with Mike Doran and Marshall Kosloff to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe. The trio explore what drives Xi Jinping to exercise power the way he does, how the U.S. and China view alliance-building in the region, and the evolution of the Sino-Australian relationship.

Iran Nukes the Case for a Biden Deal

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi chairs a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Aug. 8. (Getty Images)

With the election of hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi to the presidency, Iran has effectively ended any hope the Biden administration may have had of restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, writes Walter Russell Mead in the Wall Street Journal. Tehran has come to the realization that an agreement like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has no real legal force in the U.S., and sees no advantage in joining a deal with little more strength than a Biden pinky-swear. The Biden administration must now face the reality of an increasingly radicalized Iran and a destabilized Middle East.

Hypersonic Weapons Could Tilt War in Favor of Russia, China

A Navy Phoenix missile (U.S. Navy Photo)

If the U.S. does not prioritize the integration of hypersonic missiles into combat forces the strategic balance will tilt in favor of Russia and China, warns Seth Cropsey in The Hill. Hypersonic missiles allow military forces to strike with shorter warning times, hit targets regardless of air defenses, and coordinate strikes across a much greater width and depth. If the Biden administration is unwilling to increase the military budget to compete with China, it must at least prioritize capabilities that can make the U.S. more competitive.  

Making a Killing | Ep.15: Tom Keatinge on Transatlantic Efforts Against Illicit Finance

Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at London's Royan United Services Institute (RUSI), joined Casey Michel and Nate Sibley on the latest episode of Making a Killing to discuss how the UK can elevate its fight against corruption—and whether Boris Johnson will join President Biden in treating kleptocracy as a national security threat.

​It’s Time for a National Maritime Strategy

A submarine undergoes maintenance at the government-owned Norfolk Naval Shipyard. (Navy)

Last week’s Sea-Air-Space conference touched upon the challenges facing America’s sea services, from tightening budgets to an increasingly aggressive China. Yet focusing on the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard’s military contributions overlooks their potential to improve U.S. national security in other ways, argue Hudson Fellows Timothy Walton and Bryan Clark in Breaking Defense. In order to bolster prosperity and security, the U.S. needs a comprehensive maritime strategy that includes shipbuilding and repair, port operations, and fishing and offshore support fleets.

BEFORE YOU GO...

Following the death of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka last Thursday, Hudson Trustee and former U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue paid tribute to Trumka’s lifelong commitment to the labor movement and his love of country in the Wall Street Journal.