Thread by @DavidSantoro1

Good interview of @micheleflournoy on "The US-#China Strategic Calculus."

I just want to highlight three points she made.

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chinatalk.substack.com/p/michele-flou…

1. During the Cold War, "There were people whose only job was to really understand how the Soviet leadership thought...We have to do a much better job of really understanding [#China's] calculus and how to influence it."

It's critical: we don't understand China well enough.

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2. "How do we continue to reduce the number and importance of #nuclear weapons in strategy...but prevent rising powers...from ever thinking about using them?"

Also says "It's not just about nuclear weapons anymore."

It's key: the "stability question" is now more complex.

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3. "The key thing is that the environment that we will encounter in the Indo-Pacific is going to be highly contested and it's going to stay contested."

Bottom line: The US needs to (re-)learn how to deter/defend effectively even if it does not dominate.

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