If war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific, it will not be over Taiwan but over the atolls and shoals dotting the South China Sea. At least, that’s the argument the Philippine ambassador to Washington has made, calling these sovereignty disputes, particularly between China and the Philippines, the

In his introduction to Volume 7, Issue 2, the chair of our editorial board, Frank Gavin, considers why the United States seems stuck in the Middle East and suggests that Washington refocus on core grand-strategic interests. More broadly, he calls on Americans to find ways to passionately and

Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below. *** China On Monday, Lai Ching-te will be inaugurated as the new president of Taiwan. Lai’s victory in January

When former U.S. President Donald Trump indicated earlier this year that he “would encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent,” presumably in terms of defense spending, allies expressed alarm. This trans-Atlantic burden-sharing kerfuffle is only unusual

In 2021, John Mueller wrote “War is on the Rocks” for War on the Rocks, in which he argued that interstate war was on the decline and was an institution no longer needed by international society. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing potential for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, we