The article outlines how a successful modern foreign policy career requires blending traditional diplomatic expertise with private sector acumen. Juster's career trajectory—from international law to high-stakes diplomacy (e.g., the Gulf War) and subsequently to the technology sector—demonstrates this synthesis. Key evidence includes his work managing complex negotiations under duress and his involvement in co-founding the U.S.-India High Technology Group. The implication for policy is that effective geopolitical strategy must actively integrate private sector knowledge and technological considerations to manage modern economic and security challenges.
A Federal Statistical System for the Age of Economic Security
English Summary
The U.S. federal statistical system, while remaining a global benchmark, faces critical strain from flat budgets, aging IT infrastructure, and declining survey response rates precisely when policymakers need data on emerging economic security challenges. The system remains oriented toward traditional macroeconomic management but lacks adequate coverage of technological competitiveness, supply chain vulnerabilities, and economic statecraft. A November 2025 CSIS workshop confirmed growing misalignment between available government statistics and actual policy and business needs across these domains. The report concludes that sustaining U.S. competitiveness and resilience requires explicitly redesigning the federal statistical system to prioritize economic security objectives alongside traditional macroeconomic functions. This will necessitate investments in IT infrastructure modernization, governance reform, and expanded data collection in critical security-related economic domains.
中文摘要
美國聯邦統計系統儘管仍是全球基準，但在決策者亟需新興經濟安全挑戰數據之際，卻面臨預算持平、IT基礎設施老化以及調查回應率下降的嚴峻壓力。該系統仍側重於傳統宏觀經濟管理，但對技術競爭力、供應鏈脆弱性和經濟治國方略的覆蓋不足。2025年11月舉行的一場戰略與國際研究中心（CSIS）研討會證實，在這些領域，現有政府統計數據與實際政策和商業需求之間存在日益加劇的不一致。報告總結指出，要維持美國的競爭力和韌性，需要明確重新設計聯邦統計系統，使其在傳統宏觀經濟職能之外，優先考慮經濟安全目標。這將需要對IT基礎設施現代化、治理改革以及在關鍵安全相關經濟領域擴大數據收集進行投資。
Related Entries
-
1.
-
2.
The Brookings report argues that closing long-term fiscal deficits cannot be achieved solely by taxing high earners or corporations. Analysis shows that the required savings necessitate broad-based tax increases that would significantly impact middle and lower-income families, as targeted taxes on the wealthy are insufficient. The report notes that high-tax OECD nations achieve high revenues through broad consumption taxes (like VAT) rather than exclusively through highly progressive taxes on the rich. Consequently, any major tax-funded deficit solution would impose a substantial burden on the working class, potentially without the comprehensive social benefits enjoyed by European counterparts.
-
3.
The analysis concludes that China will hold the upper hand at the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, leveraging its dominance over critical minerals, rare earths, and magnet supply chains. This geopolitical leverage, combined with global instability (such as the Iran conflict), allows Beijing to dictate terms and buy time to consolidate its technological and industrial self-sufficiency. Strategically, the U.S. must avoid granting China a managed equilibrium by maintaining 'maximum pressure' on key sectors like AI and tech, rather than seeking broad agreements that could undermine American leadership.
-
4.
The article argues that the ongoing Iran War has triggered a severe global hunger crisis, exacerbated by U.S. aid cuts and policy neglect, pushing millions to the brink of starvation. Key evidence includes the termination of U.S. support in countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen, coupled with supply chain disruptions and massive cost increases across the region. Policy recommendations are urgent: the U.S. must immediately deploy its $5.4 billion in unspent humanitarian funds, establish a humanitarian corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, and reinstate life-saving aid to critical nations.
-
5.
The analysis cautions that the upcoming Trump-Xi summit must not result in short-term strategic concessions for the US, which risks undermining long-term stability. China is rapidly consolidating global power, leveraging US policy shifts and increasing its assertiveness across the Indo-Pacific and in technology. Strategically, the US must prioritize addressing the immediate crisis in Iran, where China holds significant leverage, and must also focus on joint cooperation on AI. Ultimately, the US must resist political impulses and pursue a robust strategy to counter China's growing challenge to global dominance.