Will the New Oil Pact Open a Broader Dialogue Between Trump and Putin?
Since President Trump moved into the White House, he has been eager for a dramatic initiative with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he may finally have found one in Sunday’s announcement of a joint American-Russian-Saudi effort to stabilize world oil prices.
China After Coronavirus – Should We Ever Trust Beijing Again?
The coronavirus has exposed even deeper fault lines in the increasingly acrimonious U.S.-China relationship. The U.S. is now taking appropriate measures to mitigate the risk to our national security of relying on China for critical technology, precious metals and medical supplies.
Coronavirus Blame Game ‘a Childish Distraction’
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, China and the US have been engaged in a wide spectrum of competition that has enhanced their rivalry. We have seen debates and arguments about China's one-party system versus the US democratic system, the China-US blame game, and the ideology-centered media war. How will the pandemic reshape China-US relations? Is cooperation still possible to address the unexpected global challenge posed by the virus? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen talked to Graham Allison (Allison), professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides' Trap?, on these issues.
Coronavirus Crisis Shows Cracks in the U.S. Governing System, Analysts Say
China’s autocratic system has performed better in some aspects than America’s democracy so far in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, but it is too early to write off the United States despite its many early missteps, analysts at a China Institute event said.
Oil Markets Provide a Glimpse of the Post-Pandemic Future
Henry Kissinger warns that many existing domestic and international institutions that have helped govern the past decades will not survive the Covid-19 crisis. He is surely correct.
Subnational Climate Change Policy in China
This volume of briefs examines subnational climate-change policy in China — including how Chinese provinces and municipalities work with the central government to implement policy. The volume focuses to a considerable degree on how China’s subnational (pilot) emissions-trading systems can inform the emerging national carbon-pricing system.
Harvard Professor David Keith Discusses Potential Promises and Pitfalls of Solar Geoengineering in New Episode of "Environmental Insights"
David Keith, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, discussed his groundbreaking research and policy work in the field of solar geoengineering in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” Listen to the interview here.
The Potential Promises and Pitfalls of Solar Geoengineering: An Interview with David Keith
Professor Robert Stavins interviews David Keith, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, considered one of the world's leading scholars on solar geoengineering.
Former European Commission Climate Negotiator Jos Delbeke Shares Firsthand Account of Carbon Pricing Evolution in New Episode of “Environmental Insights”
Jos Delbeke, Professor at the European University Institute in Florence and at the KU Leuven in Belgium, recounted the evolution of carbon pricing and voiced his optimism for further international efforts to combat climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.”
Environmental Insights Interview with Jos Delbeke
Jos Delbeke, Professor at the European University Institute in Florence and at the KU Leuven in Belgium, recounted the history of carbon pricing and voiced his optimism for further international efforts to combat climate change in the newest episode of "Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program."
Harvard Project Engages with Policymakers, Issue Advocates, and Others at COP-25 in Madrid
With representatives from nearly 200 countries gathering in December in Madrid, Spain for the 25th annual UN climate change conference (COP-25), the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements played a very active role by engaging with policymakers, issue advocates, academics, and journalists to help inform the discussions.
Economics Can Still Help Solve the Climate Crisis
Critics called last month's UN Climate Summit a disaster, but environmental economist and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Robert Stavins says global climate negotiators actually laid the groundwork for meaningful results in the future.
Creating Subnational Climate Institutions in China
This discussion paper (available in English and Chinese) describes the evolution of decentralization over the reform period that began in China in 1978, different theories of institutional change in China, and how the empirical and theoretical literatures help scholars and policymakers understand the development of institutions for governing GHG-emitting activities.
Harvard Project Releases New Paper on Creating Subnational Climate Institutions in China
Michael Davidson explores Chinese provinces’ roles in formulating and implementing climate-change policy, in the context of a broader understanding of administrative and political relationships between provincial and central governments.
The Madrid Climate Conference’s Real Failure was Not Getting a Broad Deal on Global Carbon Markets
Robert N. Stavins writes that the negotiations failed to reach one of their key stated goals: writing meaningful rules to help facilitate global carbon markets. As an economist, he sees this as a real disappointment — although not the fatal failure some portray it to be.
Harvard Project on Climate Agreements Hosts COP25 Panel on Realizing the Potential of Article 6
A highly engaged and well-informed audience filled the Pavilion of the International Emissions Trading Association at the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) on December 11 in Madrid to hear from an expert panel about the current state of negotiations on linkage, international cooperation, and the Paris Agreement. The discussion, “Realizing the Potential of Article 6,” was hosted by the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements (HPCA) and moderated by HPCA Director Professor Robert Stavins.
Breaking the Ice: How France and the UK Could Reshape a Credible European Defense and Renew the Transatlantic Partnership
History is replete with irony, but rarely more poignantly than in the summer of 2016 when, on 23 June, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the next day, 24 June, the EU published its Global Strategy document asserting its ambition of “strategic autonomy.” Whither Franco-British defense cooperation in such chaotic circumstances? This paper attempts to provide the outline of an answer to that question.
Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam
Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.
The United States Forgot Its Strategy for Winning Cold Wars
Stephen Walt writes that arguments against U.S. offshore balancing misunderstand history. The strategy that worked against the Soviet Union can work against China.
Romney's Reckless China Rhetoric Risks New Cold War
Rachel Esplin Odell argues for a wiser and more conservative strategy that resists the temptation to exaggerate the challenge posed by China.
Oil's Collapse Is a Geopolitical Reset In Disguise
The world is on the cusp of a geopolitical reset. The global pandemic could well undermine international institutions, reinforce nationalism and spur de-globalization. But far-sighted leadership could also rekindle cooperation, glimmers of which appeared in the G-20’s offer of debt relief for some of the world’s poorest countries, a joint plea from more than 200 former national leaders for a more coordinated pandemic response and an unprecedented multinational pact to arrest the crash in oil markets.
Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected
Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy.
How the Pentagon Is Struggling to Stay out of Politics
Gen. Mark. A. Milley’s job is to provide sound military advice to the president. But at a deeper level, his responsibility is to safeguard the independence and integrity of the armed forces. The last thing the country needs is a military leadership that’s trying to curry favor with any commander in chief, particularly one who’s hungry for affirmation.
Poll: What the American Public Likes and Hates about Trump's Nuclear Policies
The authors conducted a study which highlights how the U.S. public as a whole and various demographic groups view President Donald Trump's positions on nuclear weapons.
To Pressure Iran, Pompeo Turns to the Deal Trump Renounced
The secretary of state is preparing an argument that the U.S. remains a participant in the Obama-era nuclear deal, with the goal of extending an arms embargo or destroying the accord.
This Virus Is Tough, but History Provides Perspective: The 1968 Pandemic and the Vietnam War
Nathaniel L. Moir recounts the events of 1968: The war in Vietnam and extensive civil unrest in the United States — and yet another big problem that made life harder. In 1968, the H3N2 pandemic killed more individuals in the United States than the combined total number of American fatalities during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert.
In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings.
There's No Such Thing as Good Liberal Hegemony
Stephen Walt argues that as democracies falter, it's worth considering whether the United States made the right call in attempting to create a liberal world order.
Getting Smart on Pandemics: Intelligence in the Wake of COVID-19
This episode of Horns of a Dilemma touches on whether the failure to properly anticipate and warn about the novel coronavirus constitutes an intelligence failure, what changes might be required in the intelligence community in the wake of the pandemic, and what type of investigation or inquiry might be appropriate in order to learn lessons and incorporate changes for both the intelligence community and the whole of government moving forward.
No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order
Joseph Nye advises skepticism toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won't benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.
Spies Are Fighting a Shadow War Against the Coronavirus
Calder Walton describes four ways how intelligence services are certain to contribute to defeating COVID-19 and why pandemic intelligence will become a central part of future U.S. national security.
An Interview with Bruce Schneier, Renowned Security Technologist
Bruce Schneier discusses current security technology concerns with The Politic's Eric Wallach.
COVID-19's Painful Lesson About Strategy and Power
Joseph Nye writes that while trade wars have set back economic globalization, the environmental globalization represented by pandemics and climate change is unstoppable. Borders are becoming more porous to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to cyber terrorism, and the United States must use its soft power of attraction to develop networks and institutions that address these new threats.
Breaking Down the Huawei v. Pentagon Dispute
If nothing else, the long-running Huawei situation shows the importance of considering the supply chain when it comes to cybersecurity. Huawei being the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker basically banned by the federal government. Bruce Schneier joins Host Tom Temin on Federal Drive.
Joseph S. Nye: U.S. and China Need a More Cooperative Security Stance
Joseph S. Nye: U.S. and China Need a More Cooperative Security Stance
Defense Playbook for Campaigns
The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) is predicated on a single organizing principle: America’s military pre-eminence is rapidly eroding. This is not a new concept. For years, experts have warned that the economic and technological advancements of U.S. adversaries, coupled with the 2008 financial crisis and America’s focus on peripheral conflicts, have caused a decline in America’s military dominance.
In this context, the advances of near-peer competitors such as China and Russia have created plausible “theories of victory” in potential conflicts across Eastern Europe and East Asia. Competitors’ unaddressed improvements in strategic innovation, economic investment, and dual-use technology increases the risk of conflict and strains the U.S. alliance system. It is urgent that the United States reestablish and maintain credible deterrents against these near-peer competitors. After decades of focusing on post-Cold War ‘shaping’ operations, the American military needs to reinvigorate for full spectrum great power competition.
This report is intended as a blueprint on how to begin that process from graduate students at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Contained inside are 12 memorandums. Each provides a high-level overview and specific recommendations on a key issue of American defense policy.
Breaking the Ice: How France and the UK Could Reshape a Credible European Defense and Renew the Transatlantic Partnership
History is replete with irony, but rarely more poignantly than in the summer of 2016 when, on 23 June, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the next day, 24 June, the EU published its Global Strategy document asserting its ambition of “strategic autonomy.” Whither Franco-British defense cooperation in such chaotic circumstances? This paper attempts to provide the outline of an answer to that question.
Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam
Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.
The United States Forgot Its Strategy for Winning Cold Wars
Stephen Walt writes that arguments against U.S. offshore balancing misunderstand history. The strategy that worked against the Soviet Union can work against China.
Romney's Reckless China Rhetoric Risks New Cold War
Rachel Esplin Odell argues for a wiser and more conservative strategy that resists the temptation to exaggerate the challenge posed by China.
Oil's Collapse Is a Geopolitical Reset In Disguise
The world is on the cusp of a geopolitical reset. The global pandemic could well undermine international institutions, reinforce nationalism and spur de-globalization. But far-sighted leadership could also rekindle cooperation, glimmers of which appeared in the G-20’s offer of debt relief for some of the world’s poorest countries, a joint plea from more than 200 former national leaders for a more coordinated pandemic response and an unprecedented multinational pact to arrest the crash in oil markets.
Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected
Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy.
How the Pentagon Is Struggling to Stay out of Politics
Gen. Mark. A. Milley’s job is to provide sound military advice to the president. But at a deeper level, his responsibility is to safeguard the independence and integrity of the armed forces. The last thing the country needs is a military leadership that’s trying to curry favor with any commander in chief, particularly one who’s hungry for affirmation.
Poll: What the American Public Likes and Hates about Trump's Nuclear Policies
The authors conducted a study which highlights how the U.S. public as a whole and various demographic groups view President Donald Trump's positions on nuclear weapons.
To Pressure Iran, Pompeo Turns to the Deal Trump Renounced
The secretary of state is preparing an argument that the U.S. remains a participant in the Obama-era nuclear deal, with the goal of extending an arms embargo or destroying the accord.
This Virus Is Tough, but History Provides Perspective: The 1968 Pandemic and the Vietnam War
Nathaniel L. Moir recounts the events of 1968: The war in Vietnam and extensive civil unrest in the United States — and yet another big problem that made life harder. In 1968, the H3N2 pandemic killed more individuals in the United States than the combined total number of American fatalities during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert.
In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings.
There's No Such Thing as Good Liberal Hegemony
Stephen Walt argues that as democracies falter, it's worth considering whether the United States made the right call in attempting to create a liberal world order.
Getting Smart on Pandemics: Intelligence in the Wake of COVID-19
This episode of Horns of a Dilemma touches on whether the failure to properly anticipate and warn about the novel coronavirus constitutes an intelligence failure, what changes might be required in the intelligence community in the wake of the pandemic, and what type of investigation or inquiry might be appropriate in order to learn lessons and incorporate changes for both the intelligence community and the whole of government moving forward.
No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order
Joseph Nye advises skepticism toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won't benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.