News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. Don’t be blind to China’s rise in a changing world
2. How to Make a Sharp-edged Quad Work
3. How to deal with free speech on social media
4. The Lies We’re Told about the American Story
5. How Team Trump is fighting China’s ploys to control the UN by Ambassador Kelly Craft
6. US Coast Guard To Tackle China 'Illegal' Fishing In Pacific
7. Uniting the Techno-Democracies: How to Build Digital Cooperation
8. Right-wing extremists ‘hiding in plain sight’ | The Strategist
9. Trump’s historic assault on the civil service was four years in the making
10. The Politicization of the State Department Is Almost Complete
11. China-US relations: Beijing’s Korean war propaganda ‘out of date’, observers say
12. The Bones are back: B-1s return to Guam
13. U.S. to base Coast Guard cutters in western Pacific in response to China
14. A Trump Victory May Push His Defense Secretary Out an Open Door
15. Our Adversaries are Interfering in the 2020 U.S. Election: What Do They Want and How Can We Stop Them?
16. Who’s in the Room? Part II: The Case for Women’s Voices in National Security
17. Iraq War soldier Alwyn Cashe’s long-awaited Medal of Honor delayed in Senate amid Supreme Court fight
1. Don’t be blind to China’s rise in a changing world
Financial Times · by Ray Dalio · October 23, 2020
Hmmm... This is the most pro-China, pro-business in China, and most importantly (for the author) pro-investment in China piece I have read in a long time.
2. How to Make a Sharp-edged Quad Work
thediplomat.com · by Abhijnan Rej · October 22, 2020
The Quad and Quad Plus could be one of the most important foreign policy legacies of the Trump administration though I do not recall him talking about it very much. I think this is the work of his national security team who know the critical importance of alliances for the US. I think we are fortunate that they have been allowed to work on this concept. It is rather paradoxical since the President has only a negative and transactional view of alliances. If Trump is re-elected, I hope they continue to work on this. And if a Biden administration takes office, I hope it will continue this work.
Now a key point from this article: "The observant reader will notice that so far, I have only referred to the goals for the Quad in abstract, without spelling out “what” kind of behavior needs to be deterred or dissuaded even if we know the “who.” This brings me to the third set of considerations, around the “what,” for the Quad: the need to formulate an effective integrated common strategy for all malign activities that fall short of open, military aggression, ones in the “gray zone.”"
3. How to deal with free speech on social media
The Economist – 22 October 2020
We have a lot of thinking to do on this.
Conclusion: "This will be messy, especially in politics. When societies are divided and the boundary between private and political speech is blurred, decisions to intervene are certain to cause controversy. The tech firms may want to flag abuses, including in post-election presidential tweets, but they should resist getting dragged into every debate. Short of incitement to violence, they should not block political speech. Politicians’ flaws are better exposed by noisy argument than enforced silence."
4. The Lies We’re Told about the American Story
National Review Online · by Michael D. Capaldi · October 24, 2020
A good essay that will not be appreciated by those who live the cancel culture and favor the revisionist history of the U.S.
De Oppresso Liber.
5. How Team Trump is fighting China’s ploys to control the UN by Ambassador Kelly Craft
New York Post · by Kelly Craft · October 22, 2020
6. US Coast Guard To Tackle China 'Illegal' Fishing In Pacific
Barron's · by AFP - Agence France Presse
7. Uniting the Techno-Democracies: How to Build Digital Cooperation
Foreign Affairs · by Jared Cohen and Richard Fontaine · October 22, 2020
Like the old adage, "war is too important to be left to the generals, ' the authors note this: "Technology is too important to be left to the technologists."
A powerful conclusion: "Some of the most pressing technological issues facing the world’s democracies now may ultimately rival in importance the economic issues considered by the Bretton Woods delegates. Just as in 1944, when the United States and like-minded countries recognized that they could no longer make economic policy in a vacuum, today they must recognize that the time has passed when they can deal with the profound effects of technology on their own. For too long, national approaches to technological questions have been ad hoc, poorly coordinated, and left to technology experts to sort out. But in today’s competitive global environment, technology is too important to be left to the technologists."
8. Right-wing extremists ‘hiding in plain sight’ | The Strategist
aspistrategist.org.au · by Leanne Close · October 22, 2020
A view from Australia.
Key point: "Across Western democracies, racism and xenophobia are becoming normalised as populist right-wing and extreme far-right discourses become more mainstream. This, coupled with an increasing prevalence of conspiracy theories and counter-government narratives, is uniting fringe groups with more established right-wing movements under a common agenda in rallying against government measures."
9. Trump’s historic assault on the civil service was four years in the making
The Washington Post – by Lisa Rein, Josh Dawsey, and Toluse Olorunnipa - October 24, 2020
It deeply pains me to read this excerpt. I have great respect for US civil servants and I categorically deny the myth of the deep state.
10. The Politicization of the State Department Is Almost Complete
The Atlantic · by P. Michael McKinley · October 23, 2020
Ouch. Scathing criticism.
11. China-US relations: Beijing’s Korean war propaganda ‘out of date’, observers say
scmp.com – by Minnie Chan
Probably not for the domestic audience in China.
I doubt the CCP agrees with this analysis:
Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, said Beijing’s efforts to use the Korean war anniversary to promote an anti-American sentiment at home would achieve little besides further damaging China-US relations.
“The invocation of a Korean war analogy could serve to reinforce Trump’s “Red China” narrative and help to perpetuate a cold war mentality that Beijing has been telling Washington to abandon,” he said.
Ma said that the anti-US propaganda used at the time of the Korean war was intended to inspire and motivate young Chinese on the battlefield. But such tactics were no longer appropriate.
12. The Bones are back: B-1s return to Guam
airforcetimes.com · by Stephen Losey · October 23, 2020
Long live the Bone. We need them.
13. U.S. to base Coast Guard cutters in western Pacific in response to China
Reuters · by David Brunnstrom · October 23, 2020
I had no idea this was happening. But our Coast Guard is stretched very thin like our Navy.
14. A Trump Victory May Push His Defense Secretary Out an Open Door
The New York Times · by Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt · October 23, 2020
I wonder if the Mark Twain analogy can be applied here.
15. Our Adversaries are Interfering in the 2020 U.S. Election: What Do They Want and How Can We Stop Them?
georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org · by Brianna Lifshitz · October 23, 2020
16. Who’s in the Room? Part II: The Case for Women’s Voices in National Security
georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org · by Gabriela Doyle · October 21, 2020
Conclusion: "Up until now, this two-part series has focused on getting diverse voices in the room where decisions are made to cultivate American diversity as a national security asset. What the author has now realized, however, is that being in the room is not enough. The Princeton study and anecdotal experiences of the women writing and interviewed for this piece agree: “having a seat at the table does not mean having a voice.” In the 21st century, the United States needs to capitalize on what women bring to the table and who they are as a key national security priority."
If we discount a woman's voice or deny them the opportunity to contribute we are damaging our national security. it is as simple as that. Women are just as competent in national security as men. Go ahead and argue that point. You cannot disprove that statement.
17. Iraq War soldier Alwyn Cashe’s long-awaited Medal of Honor delayed in Senate amid Supreme Court fight
The Washington Post – by Dan Lamothe - October 23, 2020
There are always second and third order effects.
He deserves this medal not because he would be the first African American to receive it in the modern era of the post 9-11. He deserves this medal because he is an American hero who gave his last full measure for his fellow soldiers. The only other examples of going above and beyond the call of duty are among all previous Medal of Honor recipients. He deserves this honor.
“The Russian view of modern warfare is based on the idea that the main battles-ace is the mind.” -
National Defence Academy of Latvia
"It is books that are the key to the wide world; if you can’t do anything else, read all that you can.”
- Jane Hamilton
“Engage people with what they expect; it is that they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment - that which they cannot anticipate”
- Sun Tzu (found on the interwebs but not in any translation I have - but it reads like something Sun Tzu would have written)