Author: Cedric Erickson

Both the United States and China will be watching the outcome of Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election. For China, another victory for President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) could portend prolonged hostilities between Taipei and Beijing. But the first-order effects will be felt in Taiwan, where the race for president will implicate national identity, energy policy and the economy. Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election is a three-way contest between William Lai, Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wen-je. With polls tightening in recent months, each candidate has a genuine chance to win. Lai, the current vice president and former mayor of Tainan, represents the DPP,…

Lately, the news is filled with foreign wars, crises, and political tensions deemed dangerous to the United States. Which is the most threatening to U.S. security? Which should we be most worried about? But perhaps the biggest threat to the American republic lies closer to home. Many in the realist foreign policy school would say that even considering a large hot war over Ukraine and a smaller one in the Middle East, a rising China is a much bigger threat to American security. Some analysts fear that China is judging the uncertain U.S. effort to help Ukraine defend itself as…

Marvel Studio’s VFX workers unanimously voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, marking the first time visual effects workers have unionized with IATSE, the union announced Wednesday. The National Labor Relations Board oversaw the election, and the count was held Tuesday after the Marvel employees first filed for this election on August 7. “Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment, and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX Organizer for IATSE, said in a release.…

The Washington Post recently put together what might be the most comprehensive pizza story ever written. In researching “The Best Pizza in America, Region by Region,” Post editors interviewed “experts, historians and pros around the country” to find the best pizzerias nationwide. The publication also analyzed 7.5 million Yelp reviews of pizzerias to provide a searchable database of the highest-rated regional-style spots in each state. So, which Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky spots made the list? Here are some of the winners, along with my own takes. (Note: I’ve also included the criteria for each style, according to the Post.) Chicago-style pizza Post/Yelp picks: Two Cities Pizza,…

Recent coups in the West African nations of Gabon and Niger caught U.S. diplomats a little off guard. They also indicate Washington may need to reassess its policy in the region or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant to the new governments. Despite following similar overthrows of governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad in recent years, the U.S official reaction to the coups in Gabon and Niger has come across to some observers as makeshift and uncertain. In Niger, U.S. diplomats have resisted referring to the overthrowing of President Mohamed Bazoum in July as a coup. Doing so would mandate the cutting off of military and economic assistance to…

Russian intelligence is operating a systematic program to launder pro-Kremlin propaganda through private relationships between Russian operatives and unwitting US and western targets, according to newly declassified US intelligence. US intelligence agencies believe that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) is attempting to influence public policy and public opinion in the West by directing Russian civilians to build relationships with influential US and Western individuals and then disseminate narratives that support Kremlin objectives, obscuring the FSB’s role through layers of ostensibly independent actors. “These influence operations are designed to be deliberately small scale, the overall goal being US [and] Western persons presenting…

Recently the Chinese military has engaged in repeated provocations against United States Naval vessels and aircraft. In one incident, on March 3, the US Navy guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon and a frigate belonging to the Canadian Navy were transiting the Taiwan Strait. A Navy destroyer belonging to China overtook them and crossed in front of the US destroyer at a distance of only about 140 meters. The US destroyer was forced to immediately reduce speed in order to avoid a collision. The US Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement criticizing the Chinese Navy for violating the “maritime ‘Rules of the Road’ of safe passage in international waters.” China’s Aggressive Response One wrong move…

The U.S. is still holding out hope that Sweden will join NATO by July in spite of Turkey’s apprehensions, Ambassador to Ankara Jeffry Flake said. “We hope Sweden can become a member of NATO soon,” Flake told CNBC’s Dan Murphy Friday, adding that Sweden has taken a number of measures to address Turkey’s security concerns. “We fully expect and hope that by the time Vilnius comes … that Sweden will be a member.” Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had on Wednesday rebuffed mounting international pressure to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership bid before the defense alliance convenes for…

While the AUKUS agreement and the defence strategic review have focused strong interest on the massive task of building, crewing and operating Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarines, the government has also agreed in principle to sizeable new defence infrastructure projects, many in Australia’s north. At face value, this is great news for the construction sector, but the industry faces challenges that must be understood by all involved, including the Defence Department. Construction industry executives in Australia say it has rarely in recent times been more challenging to deliver large projects. Supply chains remain problematic, even beyond the Covid-19 lockdowns. Clients work…

US President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy are closing in on a deal that would raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling for two years while capping spending on most programmes, news reports say. A default could upend global financial markets and push the United States into a major recession. Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar put the US on review for a possible downgrade on Thursday, echoing similar warnings by Fitch, Moody’s and Scope Ratings. Fitch warned it could downgrade the US’s triple A rating because of the “brinkmanship” over the debt limit. Another agency, S&P Global,…