The White House (via OMB) strongly protests Congressional efforts within the FY 2027 NDAA to prohibit the purchase of warships from foreign shipyards. The Administration argues that these restrictions undermine national security by limiting flexibility and hindering its strategy of leveraging allied yards, such as in the 'Finland model,' to drive investment into U.S. shipbuilding capacity. This signals a significant policy shift toward integrating international partners into advanced naval construction, suggesting the Pentagon is prepared to bypass traditional domestic build requirements for future combat vessels.
Israel and Palestine
English Summary
Chatham House argues that the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent Gaza campaign exposed a fundamental failure in long-running international policy on the Israel–Palestine conflict. The core finding is that regional normalization and economic engagement with Israel were pursued while the Palestine question was sidelined, making the overall approach unstable. The article reasons that international actors, including major donors and the United States, deprioritized peace-process work, settlement expansion, Palestinian governance and accountability, and societal bridge-building, which deepened structural drivers of conflict. For policy strategy, it implies that durable stability requires re-centering these root issues rather than relying on crisis management or normalization alone.
中文摘要
研究所指出，2023年10月7日哈瑪斯襲擊與其後以色列在加薩的軍事行動，暴露出國際社會長期處理以巴衝突政策的根本失靈。核心發現是：各方在推動區域正常化與對以色列的經濟往來時，將巴勒斯坦問題邊緣化，導致整體策略缺乏穩定性。文章認為，包括主要捐助方與美國在內的國際行為者，降低了對和平進程工作的優先度，也未有效處理定居點擴張、巴勒斯坦治理與問責、以及社會層面的橋接工作，因而加深衝突的結構性驅動因素。就政策策略而言，若要達成可持續穩定，必須重新聚焦這些根本議題，而非僅依賴危機管理或正常化進程。
Related Entries
-
1.
-
2.
The Western Pacific remains a highly active theater defined by sustained U.S.-led military exercises and escalating great power competition. Key evidence includes continuous joint operations, such as RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii and the deployment of CSGs into the South China Sea, juxtaposed with increased naval activity from both China (PLAN task groups) and Russia near Japan's critical straits. These movements underscore a strategic push by non-allied powers to assert presence and challenge regional norms. Policy implications dictate that allied nations must maintain robust multilateral cooperation and interoperability to safeguard freedom of navigation and manage escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
-
3.
The article argues that the post-Cold War era of U.S. unipolarity, established by the perceived invincibility demonstrated during the Gulf War, has ended. This decline is driven by globalization and technological diffusion, which have democratized advanced military capabilities, allowing regional actors to challenge major powers. Consequently, policymakers must prepare for a more volatile international order marked by frequent crises, heightened costs for securing global trade chokepoints, and reduced predictability from American power. The new rules dictate that great powers can no longer effortlessly impose their will through force.
-
4.
The article argues that current market borrowing costs are rising independently of the Federal Reserve's policy stance, challenging the assumption that the Fed controls all rates. Evidence shows significant increases in key rates—such as 2-year Treasuries and mortgages—even while the effective federal funds rate remains steady. This divergence occurs because market rates reflect complex factors like inflation expectations, credit risk, and geopolitical volatility, which are outside the central bank's direct control. Policymakers should therefore recognize that sustainable rate moderation requires credible disinflation and disciplined government budgets, rather than relying solely on Fed intervention.
-
5.
Despite recent trade setbacks, the U.S. retains fundamental structural economic leverage over China, particularly in high-tech sectors and intermediate goods. While Beijing can temporarily weaponize specific resources like rare earths, these chokepoints are vulnerable to diversification efforts by the West. The article argues that the most effective strategy is not unilateral action but coordinated multilateral pressure from U.S. allies across Asia and Europe. Washington must therefore coordinate its economic statecraft with partners to maximize damage to China’s export-dependent model.