1) @McFaul US today must coexist in a world with other large, historically and currently important nations that have very different ideas and practices of ordering their economy and society -- mainly China, Russia, Iran.
2) Conditions are very different than in the Cold War with USSR: Russian and Chinese economies far more linked to Europe and US than was the USSR, much more equal competition in Latin America, Africa, south Asia
3) Military balance is different too: Russia is much weaker compared to Europe and US than was the USSR, while China has much greater ability to control its regional sea and air space than any US opponent 1945-1990. So too is the
4) Cultural space: Islamic nations (Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia) are more autonomous actors today, seeking influence from west Africa to southeast Asia. And there are global problems (climate, pandemics, managing AI) as well as arms race issues that require global cooperation.
5) So while the problem of conflicts among countries with differing socio-political systems is back, the context is so different we need a different set of solutions than were deployed in the Cold War against the Soviet Union (where the US used China as a wedge and ally!).
6) So a few good ideas to complement and reinforce those of @McFaul @stephenWalt and @rodrikdani: DO NOT try to stop China's "rise": can't be done and is unwise. Rather, focus on specific ACTIONS. Reward the good (climate) and try to restrain & discourage the bad (Human rights).
7) Same for Russia and China. Axelrod's "tit-for-tat" is actually the best strategy to induce cooperation in adversaries. ALSO: another big difference from Cold War is that today America's allies: EU, Japan, Korea, ANZ are much stronger than before. So it's vital beyond words
8) to do everything to strengthen alliances and trust with countries that DO share similar socio-political systems.
Should expand NATO to DATO (Democratic Alliance and Treaty Organization). The "Treaty" would extend NATO
9) to NATO partners (Japan, S. Korea, ANZ); the "Alliance" would include weaker but still important ties (but not military defense treaties) with other democracies in Latin America, Asia, Africa that wish to combine to defend democracies.
10) The one Cold War strategy we should renew is expanded US domestic investments: in education (Foreign languages and cultures, STEM), basic university & govt laboratory research to lead the world in sci & technology, and efforts to improve our cities, our civil rights, and
11) quality of life in US. US and other global democracies will never win the effort to preserve freedom and democracy unless they can demonstrate that free & dem societies produce a higher quality of life for ALL their citizens. At present, this is no longer clear. So much to
12) do at home to restore social mobility, reduce inequality, beautify cities, rebuild aged infrastructure, provide for health, housing, & education for all, reinvigorate rural and small-metro economies. No going back to 1950s/1960s (which weren't all that great)! Go forward to
13) earn global leadership. Make America a Leader (again); but a leader by being a noble and inspiring example to others, not "Great" in the short-lived and destructive sense of Alexander or Pompey!

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More from @jgoldsto

9 Nov
1) The good news for those of us who were worried about violence after this election if it was close is that in determining who won it is NOT close. Biden won many more states than he needs to win the EC, and his margins in those states are all 10,000 votes or more. So no ...
2) challenge to any one state will change the outcome, and no states had knife edge margins of 5,000 or less. While it is true that 100,000 votes changing in key states could change the outcome, no conceivable legal challenge could change that many votes in that many places....
3) so to any rational person, the facts are that Biden's victory is unassailable. But when have facts ever mattered to Donald Trump? He has always believed that if he repeats his lies often enough on camera or in front of a crowd, they will believe him, facts be damned. He's...
Read 6 tweets
8 Nov
Thoughts on the election voting: Don't hate me for this Twitter, just reporting facts. Was it a close election? Two approaches. 1) Overall, it's a BIG victory for Biden. Probably over 300 EC votes, popular margin of over 5 million votes when all are counted, and 3% of pop vote...
2) Moreover, Biden held all key Blue states & flipped 2 unexpected red states: AZ & GA. Historically that's a major win! But a completely different picture arises if you look closely at the votes. So (2): It's often pointed out that in 2016 Trump won 3 key states WI, MI, PA...
3) by under 80,000 combined votes; change those 80K votes and Clinton wins the election. In 2020, consider 3 states where Biden won by a total combined margin of under 52,000 votes: WI, AZ, GA. Change those 52K votes & Trump gets 269 Elec College votes. That throws it into the...
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7 Jun
1) For those wondering what theories of revolution say on protestors vs. force: when protestors can be isolated as a small group out for themselves, use of force is accepted and makes gov appear strong. When protestors are seen as representing a wide swathe of society, and as ..
having reasonable goals, use of force provokes more protest and weakens gov, making it less legitimate. Trump clearly tried to do the first, labeling the protestors as ANTIFA & terrorists. But for most, that failed; more and more people saw protestors as ...
diverse and widely representative of America, seeking justice with good reason. Police violence against white, female, and elderly protestors drove those points home. Government has basically lost this round. The 'protective wall' around the White House, built to intimidate...
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30 Jan 19
1)Amazing to see billionaires try to say that allowing huge inequality is "capitalism," while returning to US tax rates under Eisenhower and Nixon is "socialism." Utter nonsense! But dangerous because it is textbook example of "selfish elites."
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3) Add that US healthcare is the world's most expensive (because it's run for profit) and paid for by private corporations who have to keep employment and wages down to pay for it, and it's no wonder average Americans feel cheated out of their nation's prosperity and are angry.
Read 8 tweets

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