Suggested Articles
10-16 February 2019
1. China to sell its first and only aircraft carrier to Pakistan
Stavros Atlamazoglou of NEWSREP reports on the sale of China’s first and only aircraft carrier to Pakistan. The sale was reportedly a step to increase the capabilities of the Pakistani navy. Atlamazoglou writes that there is a “geostrategic tangle” between China and India which could explain why China might want to help bolster India’s enemies. The turmoil between India and Pakistan makes the deal a major move towards regional destabilization. The Pax Americana Institute suggests this article because it helps explain why a central tenet of classical conservatism is the importance of maintaining US control of the seas as one of the crucial means toward retaining international stability and freedom.
https://thenewsrep.com/113771/china-to-sell-its-first-and-only-aircraft-carrier-to-pakistan/2. The Way Forward for the United States in a Post-INF World
Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow for Defense Programs, Thomas Callender, explains the United States’ options after withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. US withdrawal from the treaty came about because Russia did not honor their side of the deal, creating new ICBMs after vowing not to. The US no longer needs to abide by the restrictive rules of the treaty and should now rapidly increase its ability to protect itself from Russian missile threats.
https://www.heritage.org/arms-control/report/the-way-forward-the-united-states-post-inf-world
3. ISIS looks to well-educated millennials, mainly from Saudi Arabia, to swell ranks and expand expertise
Washington Times reporter Ben Wolfgang writes about the recent findings of ISIS recruiting tactics. The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies published a 40-page report that showed new recruits actually maintain above average education levels and go through an interview process before being allowed to fight for the Islamic State. The overwhelming majority of these educated fighter are coming from Saudi Arabia, causing many analysts to refer back to the 9/11 attacks in which 15 of the 17 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia. The connections raise concerns as Saudi Arabia continues to produce anti-western sentiment while claiming to be an American ally.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/7/leaked-islamic-state-recruiting-documents-dispel-s/
4. Tom Cotton: China is building a ‘new evil empire’
Joel Gehrke of the Washington Examiner covers Senator Tom Cotton’s recent statements about China. Senator Cotton used the phrase “evil empire” to describe Xi Jinping’s Communist government. This phrase was first coined by President Ronald Reagan in reference to the USSR. China’s continued repression of the Uighur ethnic minority, among other groups, through increased cyber surveillance methods is cause for concern in the United States. As China gains familiarity with the skills and technology involved with domestic monitoring and control methods, those same skills could be leveraged against their rivals in international operations and business dealings.
PAI is a think tank devoted to research and analysis of political, philosophical, economic, social, and cultural issues from a uniquely Midwestern perspective. We are grounded in the principles of classical conservatism, which has roots in the very foundation of Western civilization and the classical period.