The war in Ukraine has been simultaneously described as the first networked war and a “return of industrial warfare.”
Ethan B. Kapstein is a nonresident scholar with the American Statecraft Program. He is also the executive director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the intersection of economics and national security. Kapstein’s research focuses on U.S. foreign economic policy, with a special interest in how economic instruments have been used in the pursuit of foreign policy and national security objectives. His most recent book, Exporting Capitalism: Private Enterprise and U.S. Foreign Policy (Harvard University Press, 2022), examines American efforts to promote private sector development across the developing world and transition economies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is currently one of the principal investigators on a Department of Defense–funded project on climate change and conflict that focuses on great powers. Kapstein is a former international banker and retired U.S. naval officer; he has also served as a principal administrator at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and as a U.S. government economist.
The war in Ukraine has been simultaneously described as the first networked war and a “return of industrial warfare.”
Policymakers should acknowledge the finite means at the Department of Defense’s disposal, requiring hard choices about where and where not to invest.
Judging by the public statements made by politicians running for and holding elected office in three Southeast Asian countries that are prime targets for Beijing (the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia), we find no evidence for BRI-related influence.
The European Union is right to insist on the crucial importance of bolstering the continent’s security at this historic juncture, but it should adopt sound procurement policies in order to make that a reality.
The breakdown of cooperation among a group of coastal states regarding the allocation of mackerel provides a cautionary tale about the limits of international collective action in response to climate change.
The view is that America has to find ways to intervene, such that people see future opportunities available to them that are better than those being offered by the ideological opponent.
One of America’s greatest assets is the attractiveness of participating in its economy; that strength should be used to good strategic effect.