China’s shipbuilding capacity is believed to be over 230 times greater than that of the United States. Chinese shipyards produce roughly 23.2 million tons, accounting for over 50% of the world’s mechant tonnage produced. In contrast, capacity of the U.S. is less than 100,000 tons, or 0.1% of global production. … Continue reading
Category Archives: United States
U.S.-China GDP by PPP 2017 & British-German GDP 1913
In just over 100 years the pattern is eerily similar; and so is the possibility of a similar confrontation and for the same reasons: the Thucydides Trap. We all know the tragic loss of lives and treasure in World War I and its follow-up, World War II. But all-out war … Continue reading
Perceived Flaws – 2024 National Security Report
Authorities The Commission on the National Defense Strategy was established by Section 195 of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 117-81). It is composed by eight members from private civilian life who are recognized experts in matters relating to the national security of the United States. … Continue reading
National Security of the U.S.
Bill Clinton’s National Security Strategy (NSS), published in 1995, four years after the fall of the Soviet Union, was a watershed document. Entitled ‘A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement’, it unabashedly stated that “we have… initiated a process that will lead to NATO’s expansion”. Worth noting is that … Continue reading
National Interests
“It is a truism (and truisms are often overlooked by busy people) that British interests are not confined to British territory. They do not end, that is to say, where foreign territory begins. If this were only so, the world would be an infinitely simpler place, where we should have … Continue reading
Historical Defense Budgets
Note: On March 11, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request of $849.8 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD), consistent with the caps approved by Congress under the Financial Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023. On August 1, 2024 the Senate Appropriations Committee … Continue reading
After The Interview
PreludeOn February 8, 2024 Tucker Carlson interviewed President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While the interview did not reveal anything new, Mr. Putin did demonstrate detailed knowledge of Russian history, mental agility, and a firm conviction that his understanding of the underlying reasons beneath the Ukrainian conflict is indeed factual. GrievancesIn … Continue reading
Seeking a Compromise on Taiwan
November 16, 2021 The lack of an acknowledged breakthrough on the Taiwan issue in the wake of the summit between Presidents Biden and Xi is, to put it mildly, alarming. We’ve previously summarized some of the reasons for Taiwan’s importance to both China and the United States, hence the irreconcilable … Continue reading
China, the U.S. and Taiwan
October 9, 2021 A month ago Presidents Biden and Xi had a crucial telephone conversation that according to the White House, covered a number of unspecified issues. Then, almost a month later, President Biden acknowledged that Taiwan was one of them and that the two had agreed to abide by … Continue reading