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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.




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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.




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Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam

Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.




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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.




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Button frustrated by Spa shower

Jenson Button confessed himself disappointed not to have qualified higher up the grid after finishing fifth fastest after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix




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Mercedes hopes rest with Spa weather

Michael Schumacher will find himself in unfamiliar territory at the back of the grid after his ten place grid demotion means his Mercedes will line up sandwiched between the HRT cars




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Vettel admits to qualifying mistakes

Sebastian Vettel blamed himself for making mistakes in Q3 that cost him a higher grid position than fourth for the Belgian Grand Prix




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Driver reaction after Saturday qualifying

Read what the drivers had to say after a rain-affected qualifying at Spa Francorchamps




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Mixed emotions for Ferrari drivers

Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso suffered differing fortunes during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix




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Clinical Hamilton wins at Spa

Lewis Hamilton produced a clinical and dominant display to win the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa




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Vettel sorry after Button collision

Jenson Button admitted the collision which ended his Belgian Grand Prix was a "massive blow" adding that he "did not know what he [Sebastian Vettel] was doing"




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Driver reaction

Driver and team reaction after the eventful Belgian Grand Prix




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Webber grateful for second-place finish

Mark Webber confessed himself happy with his second place at the Belgian Grand Prix after a clutch issue saw him drop back several places from his starting position of second




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Barrichello apologises to Alonso for mistake

Rubens Barrichello has apologised to fellow driver Fernando Alonso for his part of a racing incident that put the Brazilian out and compromised the Ferrari driver's race




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Kubica admits he was lucky to take third

Robert Kubica admitted he was fortunate to finish third in the Belgian Grand Prix after making two errors.




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Mercedes buoyed by double points haul

Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher confessed themselves happy with their points scoring finishes after the team-mates finished sixth and seventh respectively at the Belgian Grand Prix




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Force India happy with ongoing improvements

Force India's improvement continued at Spa where the team picked had both drivers finish in the top ten for only the third time this season




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Mixed fortunes for Ferrari duo

Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso suffered mixed fortunes during an incident packed Belgian Grand Prix




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Ferrari not writing off title

Ferrari insists its championship chances are not yet over despite its main title contender, Fernando Alonso, failing to score points at the Belgian Grand Prix




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Whitmarsh slams Vettel after Button crash

Martin Whitmarsh was highly critical of Sebastian Vettel after Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix




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Button thanks team for F-duct choice

Jenson Button praised the decision of his team to run with the F-duct set-up configuration after he qualified on the front row for the Italian Grand Prix




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Spa future looking bleak

The future of the historic Belgian Grand Prix cannot be guaranteed, according to FIA President Jean Todt




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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.




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Action on Plastic: On Track with the Regional Action Plan for the Arctic

In October 2019, the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative and the Wilson Center's Polar Institute co-hosted a workshop on Policy and Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean with the Icelandic Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council asked Magnús Jóhannesson, the Council's designated Special Coordinator on Plastics Pollution and Marine Litter, and Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit at the Saami Council — who both participated in the workshop — to comment on some of the points that the report raises.




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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.




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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.




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The Russians Manipulated Our Elections. We Helped.

When Russian intelligence officers plotted their campaign to destabilize American politics in 2016, they had nearly a century of experience in covert manipulation to draw upon. The Internet had given the Russians new tools for this mischief. But their secret weapon was us — an open, divided, angry America.




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How COVID-19 is Testing American Leadership

Joseph Nye suggests that a new U.S. administration might take a leaf from the success of the post-1945 American presidents that are described in Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump. The United States could launch a massive COVID-19 aid program like the Marshall Plan.




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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.




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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.




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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.  




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What I Wish I Had Said on CNN About Trump's 'Lysol and Sunshine' Speech

Joel Clement appeared on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront on April 23, 2020.  In this blog post for the Union of Concerned Scientists, he elaborates on what he wishes he had said during that interview.




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The U.S. Is Now Resorting to Plan C

Americans are not going to wait for sufficient testing. So what happens then? Juliette Kayyem describes "opening up" as a high-stakes version of a coloring book. States can use more and more crayons, but the goal is to avoid going over the edges.




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What Caused the COVID-19 Testing Deficit?

As the divergent experiences of the US and South Korea show, testing can be the difference between disease containment and catastrophe. Rather than relying on national governments to ensure the rapid development, production, and deployment of diagnostics during outbreaks, the world needs a global coordinating platform.




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The Arctic is Transforming… Can We?

Joel Clement describes how the Arctic is transforming into a warmer, wetter, and less predictable climate state, what the consequences are for the Arctic's indigenous inhabitants, and what measures can be taken to build resilience.




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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.




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History Warns Us to Avoid a W-shaped Recession

“Those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it.”  And the rest of us are condemned to repeat George Santayana.

Will the Coronavirus Recession of 2020 be V-shaped?  Or U-shaped?  If we fail to heed the lessons of history it is likely to be W-shaped, with incipient recovery followed by successive relapses into sickness and recession.

As has been widely noted, we would have been better prepared to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic in the first place if everyone had paid more attention to the past history of epidemics. Be that as it may, the world is now deep into the pandemic and its economic consequences, the most severe such events since the interwar period, 1918-1939.  As decision-makers in every country contemplate their next steps, they would do well to ponder the precedents of that interwar period.




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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.




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Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam

Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.




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An Abysmal Failure of Leadership

During times of crisis, the most effective leaders are those who can build solidarity by educating the public about its own interests. Sadly, in the case of COVID-19, the leaders of the world's two largest economies have gone in the opposite direction, all but ensuring that the crisis will deepen.




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Trump Turned the Death Count Into a Story About Himself

Official figures exclude thousands who have died during the pandemic. To draw the right lessons, the United States needs an accurate tally of the victims.




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Next Moves on Climate Policy: A Conversation with Sue Biniaz

Sue Biniaz, former lead climate negotiator for the United States, shared her thoughts on the postponement of COP-26, and on the possible re-engagement of the U.S. in the international effort to address climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.




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Vettel relieved to be back on top

Sebastian Vettel said he was relieved to get back to winning ways at the European Grand Prix and take his second victory of the season




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Sauber hails 'amazing' Kobayashi

Sauber team boss hailed Kamui Kobayashi as 'absolutely amazing' after the Japanese driver finished seventh from a starting place of 18th at the European Grand Prix




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Webber refuses to apportion blame after crash

Mark Webber said his accident with Heikki Kovalainen at the European Grand Prix was a result of the Lotus driver braking earlier than expected into turn 17




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Driver reaction after the race

Team and driver reaction after the European Grand Prix




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Barrichello targets turnaround

Rubens Barrichello hopes that his fourth place in the European Grand Prix will provide a springboard for the team to improve further for the remainder of the season




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Schumacher seeks rules clarification

Michael Schumacher has called for clarification of the safety car rules after the seven-time world champion completed his worst ever race finish in 259 grand prix starts




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Nine drivers hit with five-second penalties

The stewards have slapped five-second penalties onto the finishing times of nine Formula One drivers at the European Grand Prix for lapping too quickly under safety car conditions




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Livid Ferrari calls for safety car rule change

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali has called for the safety car rules to be revised in order for the sport to remain credible