Tag: indo-pacific
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THE STRAIT WILL NOT OPEN BECAUSE THEY DEMAND IT
THE STRAIT WILL NOT OPEN BECAUSE THEY DEMAND IT April 3, 2026 Tom Raquer Lt. Col. (Ret.), USAF • Southeast Asia Foreign Area Officer From the series: After the Winter — Collapse, Spring, and the New First Turning Writing for First Turning Strategists PREVIEW Forty nations can meet. They can issue statements. They can demand…
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HOW CHINA SEES THIS WAR
This is not a war China needs to win. It is a system already producing pressure. One side is engaged in the fight. The other is positioned to gain from the network’s evolution. And in prolonged conflict— Advantage does not always go to the side that acts. It often goes to the side that can…
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The Sectarian Fault Line
The war with Iran is not yet a Sunni–Shia war. But history suggests that conflicts in the Middle East rarely remain purely geopolitical. If the current confrontation widens, the deeper sectarian fault line of the Islamic world may once again shape the struggle for regional power.
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Globalization Suspended Geopolitics
For several decades, U.S. strategic planning has increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific as the central theatre of global power competition. This assumption underlies force posture decisions, alliance structures, and the designation of China as the primary pacing threat. Yet if the geopolitical conditions that sustained globalisation weaken, some of these assumptions may prove less certain.…
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The Strait That Tests an Order
Author Comment This essay explores a structural question in strategy: why major wars tend to emerge during periods of institutional strain rather than political stability. If crisis periods weaken legitimacy and intensify internal division, external conflict can become more than a geopolitical contest. It becomes a test of whether the political system itself can sustain…
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AFTER WINTER: BUILDING THE BLUEPRINT FOR SPRING
Winter is here! The great clock turns, and in the turning, winter’s chill settles deep into the bones of the land. The grand structures, once vibrant with noise and light, now stand in a stark silhouette against a pale sky, their foundations whispering of strain. This is not an anomaly, but a season within a…
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THE ROOSEVELT RULE: WHY THE 2025 NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY PUTS AMERICA LAST
The very notion of an “America First” National Security Strategy developed without meaningful public engagement represents a fundamental contradiction—it prioritizes the judgment of a small political elite over the wisdom and will of the American people themselves. A strategy truly crafted for American citizens would emerge from transparent town halls, citizen advisory panels, and public…
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CONTAINMENT OR CATASTROPHE? REASSESSING AMERICA’S APPROACH TO CHINA
THE MIRAGE OF SECURITY: HOW OUTDATED STRATEGIES ARE RISKING U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS BY TOM RAQUER Dear Essential American Citizen, As tensions rise between the U.S. and China, is America unknowingly heading toward a costly conflict? Are outdated strategies exacerbating rather than mitigating risks? What if the plan designed to guarantee our security is actually magnifying its…
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CHINA’S FUTURE: DOMINATION, COOPERATION, OR QUAGMIRE?
ASSESSING REGIONAL RESPONSES TO CHINA’S AMBITIONS THESIS STATEMENT John Hulsman’s assertion is fundamentally flawed. He claims a successful Chinese takeover of Taiwan will trigger uncontested dominance in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific. This perspective is filled with naïve assumptions. It overlooks the rich tapestry of cultural, historical, and geopolitical realities that shape the region. “AVOIDING…
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AN AMERICAN POPULIST NATIONALIST CHALLENGES ELITE CONTROL OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
The Essential American Citizen advocates for restoring the power of the American citizen in shaping the direction of our Constitutional Republic through elected officials. This blog emphasizes the role of the American citizen as the primary force in determining foreign and defense policies, as well as domestic policies. It promotes the idea that all American…