Required reading from around the web of the best, most interesting, or most though provoking things we’ve read:
Reynolds: INTERESTING FT PIECE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The Chinese are wary of Donald Trump’s creative destruction: The president is the first US leader in decades to challenge China on multiple fronts
“Donald Trump is leading a double life. In the west, most foreign policy experts see him as reckless, unpredictable and self-defeating. But though many in Asia dislike him as much as the Europeans do, they see him as a more substantial figure. I have just spent a week in Beijing talking to officials and intellectuals, many of whom are awed by his skill as a strategist and tactician. . . . Few Chinese think that Mr Trump’s primary concern is to rebalance the bilateral trade deficit. If it were, they say, he would have aligned with the EU, Japan and Canada against China rather than scooping up America’s allies in his tariff dragnet. They think the US president’s goal is nothing less than remaking the global order. They think Mr Trump feels he is presiding over . . .”
Ledeen: America vs. Iran: Has Trump Fallen Into a Comfortable Trap?
“I worry that the Trump Administration, like every other since the mullahs’ seizure of power in 1979, has convinced itself that if enough economic and political pressure is brought to bear on the Tehran regime, it will change. Indeed, the president has said that Iran is a different country than it was a few months ago, and is getting ready to sit down for serious talks with the United States. I believe this is folly. Totalitarian regimes cannot be reformed. Iranian leaders believe they rule by divine edict, and are totally unwilling to submit to the people’s will. The only way to get better behavior out of the Islamic regime is . . .”
Why Are The American Remains Returning From The Korean War Draped In United Nations Flag?
“Seeing the remains of deceased American military carried under the flag of the United Nations is an odd sight and the reason why this is happening may not be immediately evident for those unfamiliar with one of America’s lesser-known conflicts. The reason for this is because the Korean War was one between the United Nations and North Korea and its allies. America was acting as the principal military force.”