How the US Has - Mostly - Avoided the Dark Side of the World Cup
This year's World Cup has largely avoided the stadium subsidies, forcible displacement of people, human rights violations, and other evils historically associated with the event.
China
The Right Way To Fight a Trade War
Economist Soumaya Keynes discusses Trump’s tariff policies, how China changed the global economy, and why trade wars require restraint.
America Spent a Fortune Shooting Down Cheap Drones. Now the Missile Stores Are Bare.
After burning through interceptors in the Iran war, the U.S. faces a dire math problem: Enemies can build drones faster than America can build missiles.
How the FDA Created a Peptide Black Market
Because the agency has banned most peptides, products from overseas labs dominate the market. How does that protect Americans?
The Trump Administration Wants More Tariffs To Combat 'Structural Excess Capacity.' Here's What That Means.
When businesses in other countries produce more goods than their domestic markets can use, is that a conspiracy against America? Of course not.
The Next AI Success Story Might Be Nepal
A market-friendly ruling party, abundant energy, and ample talent could jumpstart a new tech hub in the Himalayas.
How To Win a Trade War? Lose Less Than Your Opponents.
The only winning move is not to play. But if you must, a new book offers some suggestions.
Trump's Trade War Caused a $15 Billion Decline in U.S. Farm Sales to China
Though some of their products may have been redirected elsewhere, American farmers are likely eating most of the losses.
Why Has Trump Stopped Selling Weapons to Taiwan?
The administration is avoiding conflict with China to focus on war in the Middle East. Taiwan’s democracy hangs in the balance.
Review: A Victim of Chinese Authoritarianism Explains Censorship and Surveillance
"A primary aim of censorship is to normalize itself," Ai Weiwei writes in his new book On Censorship.
Why Populism Leads to Decline
Johan Norberg discusses what makes societies prosperous, why protectionism and nostalgia keep returning, and how populism feeds cultural decline.
The Anarchists Who Thought Mao Was on Their Side
As the Cultural Revolution turns 60, here's a look back at some of the fantasies that people projected onto it—and at one moment of possible prescience.
Abortion by Mail
Plus: Chinese relations, far-right extremists, Yale discriminated, and more...
Congress Ramps Up Its Crusade Against Chinese Cars Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
Chinese cars are cheap and widely popular, but Americans can't buy them.
China Blocks Tech Acquisitions To Weaken America. The U.S. Shouldn't Follow Suit.
China ordered Meta to roll back its acquisition of AI startup Manus on Monday.
Have Trump's Tariffs Brought Manufacturing Jobs Back to America? New Study Says No.
However, the tariffs did shift supply chains away from China and towards other countries with low-cost manufacturing, like Vietnam, Malaysia, and India.
How the Iran War Could Backfire
Emma Ashford discusses Trump’s incoherent Iran strategy, the failures of post–Cold War foreign policy, and why a multipolar world limits American power.
Trump Is Getting His Way in Latin America. But Bully Tactics Have a Cost—and the Bill Is Coming Due.
A brash bid to reassert U.S. dominance is delivering short-term wins. But a region tired of being pushed around may not stay compliant for long.
Trump's War in Iran Risks Ruining His Entire Foreign Policy
The president’s attempt to manage the consequences of the war is adding wrinkles to his diplomatic goals in Ukraine, China, and other countries.
Blame U.S. Regulations for China's Dominance in Rare-Earth Minerals
America once dominated the rare-earth market, but permitting requirements are holding the industry back.
What the ICE Crackdown and China's One-Child Policy Have in Common
Population control is technocratic hubris at its most intimate and brutal.
The 4 Economic Myths Powering Trump's New Tariff Push
American businesses and consumers absorbed nearly 90 percent of the 2025 tariffs' economic burden, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found.
5 Reasons To Doubt Trump's Boast About Bringing Down Fentanyl Smuggling
A drop in seizures doesn't necessarily mean a decline in the supply.
How Communists Conquered China
The evidence tells a different story than you’ll find in the party's triumphant propaganda.
Eileen Gu Shouldn't Be Surprised That Americans Are Mad at Her for Competing for China
Plus: How to win the medal count, and how Free Agent readers want to fix the Olympics
No More Tariffs on Asian Olympic Dragons!
Robby Soave and Jason Russell celebrate the SCOTUS tariff news before pivoting to the politics of the Winter Olympics.
Jimmy Lai Got a 20-Year Sentence for Saying Things the Chinese Government Didn't Like
China's "national security law" was perfectly tailored to zero in on someone like Lai, who vigorously pushed for democracy, freedom of speech, and government reform in Hong Kong.
Your Wi-Fi Router Was Probably Made in China. Does That Mean It's a National Security Threat?
The Trump administration is reportedly moving to ban TP-Link routers, but experts say they're no less secure than other devices.
The Real Reason Golden Ages Collapse—and How the U.S. Can Avoid It
Past societies tried to regulate their way to stability. But it came at a great cost.
Trump Administration Drops Effort to Deport Chinese Dissident Guan Heng to Uganda
This is likely the result of the massive public outcry supporting Guan. But Trump continues to deport other dissidents and victims of persecution back to their oppressors.
Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom
The self-made tycoon was convicted this week of violating Hong Kong's "national security" law. But he could have escaped it.
More Republican Socialism
The Trump administration has not made a convincing case for why it is buying stakes in these companies—and why these companies in particular, rather than others.
Trump's Attempt to Deport Chinese Dissident Guan Heng is Part of an Awful Pattern
The administration has sought to deport numerous dissenters back to their oppressors.
Guan Heng Exposed China's Uyghur Camps. ICE Wants To Deport Him.
U.S. immigration authorities should not do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Governments Are Pushing Digital IDs. Are You Ready To Be Tracked?
Proponents say such IDs will make life easier and protect kids from dangerous content. But opponents worry they will make you much easier to target.
Thanks to Antitrust Officials, iRobot Will Be Acquired by a Chinese Robotics Firm Instead of Amazon
The only thing the Federal Trade Commission and European Commission succeeded in doing was transferring ownership of iRobot from an American company to a Chinese one.
Congress Gives the Military $8 Billion More Than It Asked for
The version of the NDAA passed by the House is larger than the administration’s budget request.
Trump Says China Didn't Buy Soybeans While Biden Was President. Here's What the Data Show.
American farmers exported more than 26 million metric tons of soybeans to China annually during Biden's term. Trump's deal with China would cover less than half that amount.
Trump Will Let Nvidia Sell Chips to China—but the Feds Will Get 25 Percent of the Profits
Why make the government a middleman in the chip war?
How Foreign Governments Police U.S. Speech
Sarah McLaughlin reveals how foreign governments pressure American universities through speech codes and satellite campuses, and examines the broader threat international authoritarianism poses to free expression.
Can America Return to Neoconservatism Without the Same Results?
Shadi Hamid’s The Case for American Power implies that true interventionism hasn’t been tried.
Republican Socialism: Trump Is Taking Federal Stakes in Private Companies
The Trump administration's pivot toward socialism did not come without warning.
Trump's Tariffs Are Likely To Make Toys More Expensive This Christmas Shopping Season
In Trump's first term, he exempted many Chinese toys and household items from tariff hikes. This time, they're subject to a 30 percent import tax.
Is Trump a Socialist?
Donald Trump’s new stock-buying strategy isn’t socialism, but it is a step toward a government-controlled economy.
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2025
I have long advocated using May 1 for this purpose. But November 7 is a worthy alternative candidate, which I am happy to adopt if it can attract a broad consensus.
