Harvard's Belfer Center

Is China secretly worried Trump will win on trade - and what does that mean for long-term U.S. China relations? “They’ve studied Trump carefully and have a pretty realistic view of the situation,” says Graham Allison in the The Wall Street Journal. “Xi has been vocal about his effort to conceptualize the relationship as one where the U.S. and China are both rivals and partners simultaneously.”

"“Munich” is one of the most used historical analogies – and almost always, it is used inappropriately to justify force. For once, however, the Munich analogy is sadly relevant for present-day circumstances over the war in Ukraine," writes Calder Walton for The Cipher Brief.

Commander Leah Cole, the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2024-2025 Harvard's Belfer Center Fellow, addresses maritime security and legal strategy in a time of escalating geopolitical competition. Her latest publication, "Lawfare, Not Warfare," examines how the United States can leverage international law to confront mounting maritime challenges from nations like China and Russia. She identifies the potential benefits of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to strengthen United States national security, legal authority, and strategic positioning in contested waters. #CoastGuard #uscgfellows #Harvard #NationalSecurity #MaritimeSecurity

The decline of foreign reporting from Beijing has far-reaching consequences for U.S.-China relations. Jane Perlez, veteran New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief, discusses on The President's Inbox.

Middle East Dialogues resume next week | Join us for our upcoming Middle East Dialogues: difficult conversations about the conflict in the region and prospects for peace, moderated by MEI Faculty Chair Tarek Masoud: March 13 at 4:30pm with Dutch-Palestinian political analyst Mouin Rabbani. Register HERE: https://lnkd.in/ejUE5At2 May 6 at 4:30pm with Israeli scholar and author Micah Goodman. Register HERE: https://lnkd.in/dhXdNGGk Harvard's Belfer Center

"The resource curse is real. Diversification is the way to go forward, but to do these things, you need strong governments that can make decisions...The question remains whether Iraq will continue to be a country of potential, or can we realize that potential? Can we resolve that paradox?" Last week, Dr. Barham Salih, former President of Iraq, and Senior Fellow with the Harvard's Middle East Initiative and the Harvard's Belfer Center, delivered a comprehensive talk on Iraq's economic transition post-conflict. He explored the paradox of abundant resources yet enduring challenges, underscoring the critical need for governance reforms and economic diversification beyond the oil sector. Dr. Salih highlighted Iraq's strategic importance in regional stability, advocating for innovative approaches to tackle corruption and improve infrastructure. He emphasized the potential for leveraging Iraq's youthful population and resources to drive sustainable growth and regional collaboration. ?? ?? ?? ???? ?? Watch the event now on our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3ERd1ZT Read CID's writeup of the event on #CIDVoices: https://lnkd.in/e4YK5Z3a #CIDSpeakerSeries #HarvardCID #PostConflictTransition #EconomicDevelopment #Iraq #IraqEconomy

In his address to Congress, President Trump reiterated aspirations to control Greenland, "one way or the other." But what exactly explains Trump’s continued interest in Greenland? Read the Belfer Center explainer on Greenland's strategic importance, natural resources, and influence by other countries, here.

South Korea, a stable U.S. ally, has proved that even economically successful and democratic nations can implode at a moment’s notice. In The National Interest, Matthew Bunn and Jason Ren Jeun Lee write such instability would only be exacerbated if South Korea were a nuclear weapons state.?

Is DOGE sure about the people it is firing? Elon Musk and his team are endangering Americans in many ways, writes Juliette Kayyem for The Atlantic.

Was Trump Right to Increase Tariffs on Chinese Imports? President Trump recently enacted a ten percent additional tariff on Chinese imports, citing the need to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States and to address the substantial trade imbalance between the two nations. In response, China announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, including a fifteen percent levy on coal and liquefied natural gas and a ten percent tariff on crude oil, automobiles, and agricultural machinery. Rana Mitter, Professor of US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, features on Open to Debate and NPR's latest featured debate, live from Washington, DC.