On October 7, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech at the Pnyx in Athens, one of the most historically significant locations associated with ancient Greek democracy. Standing near the Acropolis, he reflected on the foundations of Western civilization, the achievements of the ancient Greeks, and the historical responsibilities of nations that have inherited their intellectual and political traditions. He emphasized the importance of national sovereignty, cultural confidence, and the willingness of free societies to defend their institutions and historical inheritance.
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Zhao Ziyang, Zhu Rongji, and the Limits of the Chinese Market Reform under the Communist Party Rule
The death of former mainland Chinese premier Zhu Rongji on August 12 has renewed discussion of his economic legacy. Zhu, who served as premier from 1998 to 2003 after previously overseeing much of mainland China’s economic policy as vice premier, was one of the principal architects of the market-oriented reforms of the 1990s. He restructured state-owned enterprises, strengthened the central government’s fiscal capacity, promoted housing reform, and used mainland China’s accession to the World Trade Organization as a means of exposing domestic firms to greater competition.
Continue readingWhen Democracies Get It Wrong: Political Correction, Presidential Judgment, and an Uncertain World
The international environment of 2026 has forced governments to reconsider assumptions that seemed relatively comfortable only a few years ago. The continuing war in Ukraine, the U.S. operation in Venezuela, the war involving the United States, Israel, and the Iranian regime, severe disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and renewed arguments over European defense have all changed how political leaders evaluate power, credibility, and risk. These events are interconnected not because they form part of a single conflict, but because every government watches what happens elsewhere and updates its expectations about what allies and adversaries are willing and able to do.
Continue readingFrom Marxist Materialism to a Material Measure of Progress
It would nevertheless be too easy to say that mainland China’s consumer materialism has nothing to do with Marxism simply because Marx himself criticized commodity fetishism. Marxist historical materialism and consumer materialism are conceptually different, but ideas also matter through the political institutions and policy priorities constructed from them.
Continue readingTrump’s Visit to Mainland China: Tactical Easing, Structural Rivalry, and the Real Taiwan Question
Donald Trump’s visit to Mainland China should not be misunderstood as the end of strategic confrontation between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. In the short term, bilateral relations may indeed become more manageable. The two sides reportedly discussed trade, tariffs, agriculture, aviation, technology, Taiwan, and the Iranian regime; Reuters described the trade outcomes as “preliminary,” with tentative understandings rather than a grand settlement.
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