Articles by: "Joseph S. Nye"
Is nuclear proliferation back?

Preparations are already underway at the United Nations for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which was originally signed in 1968. Many expect a …

What killed US–China engagement?

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden last November, some interpreted it as a return to engagement. In fact, it heralded only a minor détente, not a major change in policy. …

American exceptionalism in 2024

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, three broad camps are visible in America’s debate over how the United States should relate to the rest of the world: the liberal internationalists who have dominated since World …

What in the world is the ‘global south’?

The term ‘global south’ is in constant use nowadays. For example, some commentators warn that Israel’s incursion into Gaza is ‘alienating the global south’, and we often hear that the ‘global south’ wants a ceasefire …

China and America are not destined for war

The great-power competition between the United States and China is a defining feature of the first part of this century, but there’s little agreement on how it should be characterised. Some call it an ‘enduring …

Is America reverting to isolationism?

The first debate between the Republican Party’s candidates for next year’s US presidential election revealed major schisms over foreign policy. While former US Vice President Mike Pence and former US ambassador to the United Nations …

India, the US and the global balance of power

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Joe Biden in the White House last month, many observers saw the makings of an evolving alliance against China. But such expectations are overwrought. As …

If Trump returns

As the 2024 US presidential primary campaign season begins, the most likely final contest is a rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Judging by the electoral map in 2020, Biden would be well …

Dilemmas of deterrence

We live in a world where geopolitical stability relies largely on deterrence. But how can we prove that deterrence works? Consider the ongoing war in Europe. Beginning in December 2021, US President Joe Biden warned …

Globalisation isn’t over

Late last year, Morris Chang, the legendary founder of Taiwan’s (and the world’s) leading semiconductor producer, proclaimed: ‘Globalisation is almost dead.’ In a world where supply chains have been disrupted by Covid-19 and the deepening …

The importance of guardrails in US–China relations

When US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met in Bali last November, they agreed to hold high-level meetings to establish ‘guardrails’ for the Sino-American strategic competition. US Secretary of State Antony …

Japan’s strategic imperative

In December, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the most ambitious expansion of military power in Japan since the creation of the country’s self-defence forces in 1954. Japanese defence spending will rise to 2% of …