Month: May 2023
Stevenson’s army, May 25
– Brookings doubts the hypersonic hype.
-POGO says defense industry is crying wolf.
– Pending lawsuit argues debt limit gives president too much power.
– New China committee approves package of bills.
– Farmland is an issue in US/China relations
– On his 100th birthday, National Security Archive lists documents showing the good and bad of Henry Kissinger
-NYT says Ukrainians likely involved in Kremlin drone attack
– WaPo says Biden will announce this afternoon nomination of USAF Chief Brown to be CJCS.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, May 24
– Politico notes that the GOP House members haven’t negotiated deals before.
– Politico also cites criticisms of media coverage of the topic:
What officials have done is begun circulating pieces calling out the fourth estate. Those include items from New York Magazine’s JONATHAN CHAIT and the American Prospect’s RYAN COOPER and DAVID DAYEN criticizing the mainstream press for normalizing GOP tactics.
–RollCall lists member-sponsored add-ons to defense spending [formerly called pork]
– AP has its own tick-tock on Biden’s change of position on F16s for Ukraine.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Politico has background on the US decision on F16s for Ukraine.
Politico has this: BEIJING BLASTS U.S. ‘COERCIVE DIPLOMACY’: China’s foreign ministry chose the opening of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan on Friday to publish a 5,000 word screed accusing the U.S. of being the “inventor and master of coercive diplomacy.” The document lists examples ranging from the decades-long trade and economic embargo on Cuba to recent Treasury Department sanctions against China and Russia. The timing of the report’s release underscore’s Beijing’s sensitivity to the G7’s focus on countering Beijing’s economic coercion against countries that challenge Chinese policies. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin declared the document “a good read” in a Friday press briefing.
And note that “5000 word screed.”
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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– WSJ says US envisions Israel-like security guarantees for Ukraine.
– CNN says Pentagon has backed off efforts to combat extremism.
– Sinn Fein wins in Northern Ireland.
– NYT has long articles on the difficulties of adopting innovation.
– CBS says military contractor price-gouging.
– Biden predicts “thaw” in relations with China.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, May 20
– Since I mentioned Larry Tribe’s opposition several years ago to using the 14th amendment to solve the debt ceiling problem, I wanted to note his change of mind last week. Of course, good lawyers can argue both sides of a question.
– Even better than Glenn Kessler’s piece on the GOP budget plan is this from NYT.
– London’s RUSI has a big review of Russian operations in Ukraine.
– Politico notes how few reforms suggested by bipartisan legal scholars and intended to limit the excesses of a Trump-like president have actually been adopted.
– Fred Kaplan argues that the nuclear danger is getting worse.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, May 18 and 19
This is from yesterday: We’re back from travel and I’ve only begun to look at the accumulated papers. More to come. Meanwhile, these worthwhile pieces:
– Steve Walt has good advice on how people with master’s degrees can have good foreign policy careers.
– WOTR warns of the seduction of buzzwords.
-Substack columnist Noah Smith has interview with China specialist who has the best analysis I’ve seen of China’s tech policies.
– Media critic Dan Froomkin hits WaPo for not curating its classified leaks. I agree.
– I also agree with this call for beefing up CRS.
– NYT had fine profile of CIA director Burns.
In more recent news: US & allies disagree on F16s to Ukraine.
-Taiwan’s opposition has an interesting candidate.
– CFIUS may be used for Forbes acquisition.
– NYT questions Pentagon rules for special forces.
– FT says South Africa may face severe US sanctions
– Teixeira’s supervisors warned him about classified procedures but didn’t stop him.
Charlie posted this today:
– State has released a new foreign military sales policy, WSJ explains
– Pentagon acknowledges $3 billion accounting error, freeing more money for Ukraine.
– Assad is back in the good graces of the Arab League.
– Politico explain the legislative complexity of passing a debt ceiling bill.
– Glenn Kessler uses the example of “VA cuts” to explain how Ds & Rs argue over the GOP bill. [The point is that discretionary spending cuts are required but not identified.]
Good think pieces: By SAIS Prof Frank Gavin
– On Marine Corps reform
– On future Eurasian security
– And if you’re a subscriber, Economist has a new “defence” news site.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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