America Should Be Frank With France

President of France Emmanuel Macron appears at a special European Council EUCO, EURO Summit, EU leaders meeting on February 21, 2020. (Getty Images)

Canberra’s decision to drop a long-term defense relationship with Paris to form the AUKUS partnership with London and Washington cuts deep, writes Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal. The partnership has been applauded in Tokyo and Taipei and reassures regional allies that America’s pivot to the Indo-Pacific is real. But there’s no doubt that France's many friends in the U.S. will need to think hard about what comes next, because it is in America’s interest for Paris to occupy a significant place in world affairs.

Virtual Event | Investigating COVID-19 and the China Coverup

Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of COVID-19 arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. (Getty Images)

The U.S. government’s paltry gestures toward investigating the origins of COVID-19 show a disturbing lack of appreciation for the gravity of this question. More than 600,000 Americans have died from COVID-19—approximately half the total number killed in all American wars—yet the government has not even begun to utilize the many investigative tools at its disposal to get to the bottom of how this virus emerged or the reasons for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cover-up.

To prevent future pandemics and protect the people of the United States from further harm, it is vital to pursue serious, comprehensive investigations that are not bound by artificial timelines, but committed to discovering the truth above all else. How should this be executed? Hudson Institute CEO John Walters, Senior Fellow David Asher, Adjunct Fellow Tom DiNanno, and expert panelists Kevin Brock and Diane Cutler shared their thoughts in this timely conversation.

Why Boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics Could Backfire

BEIJING, CHINA - AUGUST 01: The Emblem of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is installed at Shijingshan district in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

With less than six months to go until the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, pressure is mounting for the United States and other democracies to boycott the games in protest against China’s multitude of human rights abuses. The anger against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is understandable, as are calls to boycott the games—but this approach could prove counterproductive, argues John Lee in CNN. 

'We're Not Leaving Berlin'

American and British transportation planes supplied food to Berlin's Western sector during the Berlin Airlift. (Getty Images)

When President Biden compared the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan to the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift, many heads swiveled in surprise and indignation, writes Arthur Herman in The Dispatch. President Truman used all available American power to stand up to tyranny and protect the innocent; in contrast, President Biden has arguably used that power to capitulate to tyranny and abandon millions of innocents to an unearned fate.

Virtual Event | Kim Jong Un and the Northeast Asian Arms Race

 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) looking at a metal casing at an undisclosed location. (Getty Images)

North Korea recently tested a long-range cruise missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to South Korea and Japan. As a result of both the North Korean and Chinese weapons programs, South Korea and Japan have sought to develop more robust deterrent and defense forces. Understanding Kim Jong Un’s goals with this latest test are crucial to thinking through the security and diplomatic implications of the region's current state of arms competition. Hudson experts Patrick Cronin and Alex Wong joined expert panelists Ankit Panda and Jean Lee to discuss North Korea’s expanding missile arsenal and arms competition in Northeast Asia.

BEFORE YOU GO...

Paul Massaro, Casey Michel, and Nate Sibley discuss Germany’s problematic relationship with authoritarian capital, how money laundering gutted Vancouver’s real estate market, U.S. missteps in Afghanistan, and more in the latest episode of Making a Killing.