Section: Institute for Policy Studies (USA)
Pete Hegseth’s Invasions
This week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was on hand in Normandy for the eighty-second anniversary of the D-Day invasion. He made the usual remarks about U.S. dedication to defending freedom, just as he did last year on a similar occasion. This time around, however, Hegseth veered off into controversial territory. Not that you can figure this out...
Saving the Planet Depends on Asia
Early adopters pay a premium for their embrace of innovation. If you bought one of the first electric cars in the United States, you had limited range, long charging times, and very little infrastructure to support you on anything but the shortest journeys. If you’d held out just a little bit longer, you could have spent a lot less money...
What Can North Korea Tell Us About America’s Future?
Ever since North Korea suffered through the death of its first leader in 1994, a loss magnified by an economic collapse and a devastating famine, outside observers have likened the country to an airplane experiencing a serious malfunction. The major question they posed: in the end, would North Korea experience a soft landing or a catastrophic...
Russia and North Korea: An Alliance of Desperation
The Kremlin can count on only one real ally in its war in Ukraine. Belarus has offered its territory for the staging of the war, and China has provided some dual-use exports that certainly contribute to the war effort. But only one country has sent a significant number of troops to fight alongside the Russians: North Korea. Today, about 10,000...
Why Russia’s Backwardness Benefits Putin
The source of Russia’s global power derives not from sophisticated technology, an advanced service sector, or a cadre of entrepreneurs. Russia’s power is almost entirely backward-looking. Its geopolitical position rests on a base of prehistoric vegetation. That vegetation, of course, has ended up as Russia’s reserves of oil,...
Where on Earth Is Europe Heading?
To figure out the future trajectory of Europe, Bulgaria is as good a place as any to start. On the edge of the European Union bordering Turkey and the Black Sea, the Balkan nation is, as of 2014, one of the newest members of the union. It is also the poorest EU member, and one of the most rapidly shrinking countries in the world, population-wise....
The Axis of Evil Suffers a Big Loss
In the universe of far-right politics, the three members of the Axis of Evil are Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Viktor Orban. The first presides over the most powerful country in the world. The second launched the first major land invasion in Europe in over 75 years. The third has done his best to destroy the European Union from within. On...
Exploring Extractive Frontiers: A Q&A with Thea Riofrancos
A true green transition has to involve a massive project of electrifying transportation and scaling-up renewable energy storage. That undertaking will require a wide array of inputs including copper, cobalt, and, maybe most critically, the lithium needed for the batteries that make both possible. However, much to the consternation of...
Trump’s Terrifying Talent for Multitrashing
Maybe you’re reading this article while listening to a podcast. Or you’re participating in a dull Zoom meeting. Or you’re talking on the phone with a relative. Maybe you’ve just read the first three lines of this article three times without really registering them because your attention is absorbed elsewhere. You’re...
FAQ: Why Is the U.S. Attacking Iran? And What Happens Next?
Why is the U.S. attacking Iran? President Trump has not given a single, clear purpose for the war. After initially calling for “regime change,” Trump administration officials are mostly downplaying that goal and offering others. On March 2, Pete Hegseth outlined three goals: the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, the...
