Thread by @DoorstepPodcast

OK, a Doorstep synthesis: let's put together the discussion between @RadioFreeTom and @TatianaSerafin on youth activism, climate issues and politics from Doorstep ep. 4, @ashjain50 on democratic community, @AshaCastleberry on linking foreign policy to issues that impact ... 1/

ordinary Americans, @Ali_Wyne on great power competition, @thomaswright08 on the factions within a Biden national security apparatus, and @jamisonfoser on the implications of former SecState Kerry as the climate envoy. How does this all play out?

"Climate change" covers a broad mandate. Including within this are things like food security and clean energy. Different aspects of this agenda are going to matter differently to different countries. Diplomacy is about finding consensus. 3/

The United States uses many instruments of financial and economic power to pursue "compellence" from other states in the international system. We saw that a proposal made at the G-20 in March when the coronavirus pandemic was spreading worldwide to suspend the use of economic 4/

sanctions was received quite lukewarmly by the United States. What if John Kerry, in trying to get action on climate change, comes up against demands that the U.S. forego imposing additional sanctions as a price for agreement? 5/

Or consider this: a U.S. national security imperative is to decrease European reliance on Russian natural gas--yet in pursuit of climate objectives many European governments do not want to import U.S. natural gas obtained as a result of fracking. Russian natural gas is 6/

cleaner in that regard. Recall during the Obama administration the U.S. prioritized environmental over geo-economic goals in not pushing for more U.S. production even if it mean greater Russian influence. worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/13732…

And will the U.S. be willing to transfer technologies that may help with climate change but strengthen the economic and even military potential of other states? The outgoing administration took the position that whatever damage the U.S. might sustain from transnational threats 8/

its rivals would take even greater damage. A China that has to focus on ameliorating climate change at home may have less attention to focus on projecting power outward. 9/ carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multime…

Or will this play into a democratic community narrative: the U.S. will work with partners on climate change, health and ecological security issues, and those on the outside who want in will have to meet conditions for aid and assistance. 10/

But like it or not, the "authoritarian bloc" of states is too big and has too much influence--including over climate matters--to be excluded. And any climate change agreement internationally has major domestic ramifications as well. 11/