Today, H.R. McMaster welcomes the end of US attempts at de-escalation when it comes to Iran. Michael McConnell highlights the value of US federalism in a new video for the UnArchived series. Eugene Volokh breaks down a case that asks whether parents can request their children be kept out of class instruction that they feel interferes with their religious beliefs and development. And a new initiative supported by Hoover finds China is sharpening and consolidating its research and science ecosystem.
Determining America’s Role in the World
As a young cadet at West Point in 1981, Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster says he was able to see the 52 US Tehran embassy hostages drive past the military academy shortly after their release by the Iranian regime. Today, he says Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities marks a shift in the “twilight war” the US has waged with Iran ever since the hostage crisis. Unlike Trump, McMaster said, previous US presidents failed to consider the totality of Iran’s hostility toward the US, manifested in attacks by proxies on US bases and allies around the Middle East. With our leaders seeking to dial down the temperature, McMaster says, the concept of “de-escalation” always allowed Iran to set the agenda. “De-escalation was never a path to peace—it was an approach that perpetuated war on the Iranians’ terms.” Read more here (subscription required).
Revitalizing American Institutions
In a new video for the UnArchived series, Senior Fellow Michael McConnell explores the value of America’s model of federalism, which divides power between states and the federal government. Federalism enables the US to prevent tyranny, fosters local experimentation, and strengthens citizen engagement. “In an age of increasing polarization, federalism is more vital than ever, enabling diverse communities to live according to their values while experiencing the security and stability of one unified nation,” the video states. Watch the video here.
On his blog, Senior Fellow Eugene Volokh explores the extent to which the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment allows parents to opt out of classroom instruction for their children that they believe would “substantially interfere with their child’s religious development.” Citing a case in Maryland where parents asked that their young children not hear or read from a series of “LGBTQ+ inclusive” storybooks during elementary school class time and were denied, Volokh says a court found the refusal to provide an opt-out unconstitutional and a substantial interference in the religious development of the challengers’ children. Read more here.
Confronting and Competing with China
A new report coauthored by Distinguished Research Fellow Glenn Tiffert and produced for the new NSF Secure Analytics program describes how the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is reforming its science and technology research ecosystem. The authors say China’s overhaul of its science research is “sharpening geostrategic rivalry and impacting the risk portfolios managed by research security professionals.” Citing PRC policy documents, they write that the PRC is centralizing control of science and technology research in the hands of a single Central Science & Technology Commission that directs all civilian and military research. It is also increasing spending on research and development and breaking down barriers between universities, firms, the military, intelligence services, and other research facilities. Read more here.
On his Substack, Visiting Fellow Matt Turpin writes about events that took place at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in June, where the People’s Republic of China (PRC) issued a summit statement that stayed silent on the April terror attack in Kashmir that sparked a short war between India and Pakistan, as well as on the recent bombing of Iran by Israel and the US. The defense ministers of India, Pakistan and Iran were present at the meeting, but the final statement from the summit said nothing to assuage any of them, despite the SCO’s ostensibly being a collective security partnership of countries including Iran. Throughout the 12-day bombing campaign, the PRC did nothing to help Iran except issue strongly worded diplomatic statements, Turpin writes. “In Beijing’s propaganda these institutions are built on the solid foundation of ‘mutual respect’ and provide its members with solidarity against so-called ‘American hegemony.’ But apparently, loyalty only flows in one direction.” Read more here.
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