The Hoover Institution hosts The United States, China, and Taiwan—A Strategy to Prevent War on Thursday, April 15 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. PT. Robert Blackwill and Philip Zelikow introduce their recent report on the growing danger of war between China and the United States over Taiwan and propose a new US strategy to prevent it. Following their presentation, Hoover Institution fellows General James Mattis (ret.) and Admiral James Ellis (ret.) will offer remarks.

An all-out civil war likely would erupt if American forces leave Iraq, a withdrawal timetable would be disastrous and a political solution will be difficult to achieve without adequate security, according to a panel of experts at a Commonwealth Club forum in Lafayette...

Protests by retired soldiers—coupled with stern internal propaganda campaigns aimed at reinforcing military loyalty and denouncing talk of a "national army"—suggest cracks in the façade of Chinese party-army unity. This article analyzes recent civil-military developments in China, and assesses their implications.

The peaks and valleys of a US military buildup.

As part of our ongoing partnership with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, we spoke with Amy Zegart, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and co-director of Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, about the effects of spy-themed entertainment on public opinion of U.S. security policies. She conducted two surveys, one informal with her students and another that was the first national poll of public attitudes toward torture techniques. Both had similar results: support of more severe techniques, assassination and indefinite detention increased with people who watched more spy-themed entertainment like James Bond, Jason Bourne and 24. In fact, this support has increased under the Obama presidency. What are the reasons and how do we close the gap in spy-themed entertainment and spy-themed education? Watch the video to find out.

In the final episode of the series for 2020, Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane reflect on lessons learned from the pandemic, Donald Trump’s future, the ruinous state of the Golden State, how society will differ in 2021, plus what gets them through their daily routines—a mixtape of UK punk, Philly-brand funk, and the soothing sounds of “Sweet Baby James” Taylor.

At the 2004 fall plenum, Jiang Zemin finally stepped down as chairman of the party Central Military Commission, abdicating the position to Hu Jintao. Jiang is also expected to relinquish the ceremonial chairmanship of the state Central Military Commission at the National People's Congress (NPC) meeting in March 2005. Hu now possesses the holy trinity of leadership positions: CCP general secretary, PRC president, and CMC chairman. This essay analyzes the origins and dynamics of this transition and ponders the implications of Jiang's retirement for civil-military relations and military modernization.

The annual session of the National People's Congress held in March addressed concerns of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in three important areas. First, its announcement of the year's defense allocations within the larger state budget sheds light on the pace and scope of China's military modernization effort. Second, roughly ten percent of the delegates to the People's Congress and media attention to their deliberations provides insight into ongoing military issues. Last, the session adopted new regulations that illuminate institutional and doctrinal trends in China's military.

In July 2001, Jiang Zemin gave an important speech at the Central Party School, formally introducing the concept of the "three represents," which calls for some dramatic changes in inner-party democracy and ideology. Even before this speech, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been one of the strongest institutional proponents of these new concepts. This article examines the PLA's interpretation of these ideas, as well as the civil-military dynamic driving their praise of Jiang Zemin as the author of the concepts.