Efforts to cultivate personal relationships between U.S. and Chinese diplomats can maintain lines of communication between the two governments. — Daniel Schoolenberg On May 10 and 11, in Vienna, Austria, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with China’s Director of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, for a strategic dialogue on bilateral relations. According to the Washington Post, both sides reached a level of understanding that has so far proven elusive…

Despite China’s efforts otherwise, the yuan very likely will remain a regional currency. — Robert Bestani Since at least the end of World War II, the United States has held the high ground in international commerce and finance because the dollar emerged as the most widely used currency in the world. Roughly 50 percent of global trade is denominated in U.S. dollars, as are…

Members of the Transatlantic Writers’ Group analyze the issues to watch at the forthcoming leaders’ meeting of the Group of 7 (G7) countries in Hiroshima, Japan, from May 19–21, 2023. — G7 heads of government will gather in Hiroshima under the Japanese presidency later this week for the annual leaders’ summit of the informal group of advanced democratic economies. Ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine continues to define the bloc’s agenda on security, economic, and environmental issues. Participants in the summit —…

Poland’s demands for reparations from Germany come at a time when European unity and stability are paramount. — Sophie al Mutawaly On October 3, 2022, not coincidentally Germany’s National Unity Day, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau signed an official note addressed to Germany that demanded reparations for Nazi crimes committed against Poland. This move came as a shock to Germany, its large neighbor and partner in NATO and…

With a Belt and Road Initiative agreement signed and a push by the PRC for further investment in Morocco’s technology sector, the United States should be looking at how to deepen its ties with Morocco. Lilybeth Chavez In January 2022, Morocco was the first North African country to sign an…

The announcements of March 9th and 10th display a rebalancing of Saudi Arabian relations in the region. — Dr. Katherine Harvey On March 9th, reports emerged that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had made known its “price” for normalization with Israel. Since the conclusion of the Abraham Accords in 2020 — which saw peace agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan — Washington…

Now that Finland is the 31st member of NATO, it has the opportunity to spearhead EU-NATO cooperation in the Arctic and Baltic by encouraging political consultations, the use of satellite technologies, and joint exercises in both regions. Iris Thatcher On April 4, 2023, Finland became the 31st member of NATO…

ISD had the opportunity to speak with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Chief of Staff Jennifer Davis about the Ambassador’s most recent trip to Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya, and Somalia, and to discuss the recent uptake in U.S. engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa. Katherine Wells On her trip to Senegal in early January 2023…

Petr Tůma This article is part two of a two-part series exploring the strategic challenges faced by European leaders and the Czech Republic’s EU Presidency. Part one explored the broad strategic framework. …