Recommended Weekend Reads: November 25-27, 2022

We wanted to share a few of the research pieces and notable news stories that caught our eye in the past week. We hope you find it interesting and useful.

“Ukraine’s 15,000-Mile Lifeline” New York Times Magazine

Ukraliznystsia, Ukraine’s national rail system, has been referred to as “a country within a country.”  It employes more than 230,00 employees and, since Russia invaded, it has helped the country withstand the Russian attack and successfully fight back.

“Tracking the State of US-Europe Relations” Morning Consult

The trans-Atlantic economic relationship is the largest in the world in terms of transaction value, and among the most complex. Understanding this relationship is key to predicting the trajectory of trade and capital flows, regulation, technological cooperation, and economic statecraft.  The polling numbers are not great.

Source: Morning Consult

“Reunification” with Taiwan through Force Would Be a Pyrrhic Victory for China” by Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies, and Gerard DiPippo, Senior Fellow, Economics Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies

Many commentators and officials speculate about Beijing’s plans to compel “reunification” with Taiwan. Much of the existing commentary focuses on how or when a Chinese attack on Taiwan could occur, but there is little discussion of the nonmilitary consequences of such a scenario for China and the world. This brief explores the implications of a Chinese attack on Taiwan based on reasonable, albeit speculative, assumptions.  When considered more holistically, the implications of an attack on Taiwan would be grim for Beijing.

Chart of the Week: Breaking Down the US Right Track/Wrong Track Polls By Political Affiliation

Morning Consult polled more than 6,000 adults on their perception of the US is on the right track or the wrong track.  What we found particularly interesting about this latest poll was the huge disparity of views of participants by political party:

·       54 percent of Democrats think the US is on the right track

·       23 percent of Independents think the US is on the right track

·       9 percent of Republicans think the country is heading in the right direction.

Source: Morning Consult