Cato Events Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic cost tens of thousands of lives and capsized the U.S. economy, relations between Beijing and Washington were heading south. Tougher domestic repression, greater aggressiveness toward Hong Kong, enhanced pressure on Taiwan, and increased assertiveness in Asia-Pacific waters have unsettled American policymakers and allied nations in East Asia.

China’s poor response to the COVID-19 virus, especially the regime’s lack of transparency and punishment of doctors and journalists warning about the pandemic, inflamed political and public sentiment against Beijing.

Now the Trump administration appears determined to turn China’s poor response into a campaign issue. Joe Biden’s campaign has responded in kind. Republican legislators are even pushing to “make China pay,” proposing to strip Beijing of sovereign immunity to lawsuits and repudiate U.S. Treasury debt held by China. The result could be a race to the bottom in relations. Even the trade deal, which the administration celebrated in mid-January as the virus began spreading, is now at risk.

Can the bilateral relationship survive the coming presidential campaign? More broadly, where should the relationship go? Is Beijing’s authoritarian direction likely permanent, or is a reversal of policy possible in Beijing once Xi Jinping no longer rules? Should the United States shift to a policy of containment and seek to isolate China by severing economic ties and emphasizing military responses? How would Washington’s East Asian allies, economically dependent on China, respond to such an approach?

Related Content: Congress and COVID-19: Is Remote Legislating and Oversight Possible?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is due to go into force on July 1, 2020, but much work remains to prepare for the transition from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules. In all likelihood, both agreements will operate in parallel until important details are ironed out. Most pressing among these are new rules for automobile manufacturing in North America, where the requirements have become more stringent. Mexico will also have to deal with a potential surge of labor disputes as the new labor chapter goes into effect. Compounding all of this is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted supply chains and weakened trading relationships around the world. Can the USMCA be successfully implemented this year, and can North America move forward from the pandemic stronger than before?

Related Content: Dispute Settlement and the US-UK Trade Agreement: Lessons from the NAFTA Renegotiation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the United States shifts the focus of its foreign and defense policies toward great-power competition, experts have paid more attention to Russian and Chinese nuclear force postures and strategies. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) paints a concerning picture of recent developments in both potential adversaries, noting the growth of arsenals and approaches to nuclear strategy that vex U.S. policymakers. The assessments and threat perceptions laid out in the NPR will drive U.S. nuclear strategy for the rest of the Trump administration and potentially beyond because they inform plans for U.S. nuclear modernization.

In the two years since the 2018 NPR's release, the Trump administration has put its stamp on America's approach to nuclear deterrence. The administration is clearly worried about the nuclear arsenals and strategies of Russia and China, and many of the NPR's more controversial items, such as the low-yield Trident warhead, are explicitly tied to nuclear developments in potential great-power adversaries.

But has the United States accurately diagnosed the most important problems posed by other great powers? Is Washington designing the right solutions to these problems? What are the risks of misdiagnoses and/or wrong policy solutions? The COVID-19 pandemic has made finding answers to these questions all the more urgent. The economic fallout of the public health emergency will likely create strong budgetary pressures and subject the multidecade, $1 trillion–plus nuclear modernization plan to closer scrutiny. Join us as we explore these questions and more.

Related Content: Using the Kosovo Precedent in Syria: Damaging US Relations with China and Russia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coronavirus and the Constitution

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.