海角大神

The debt limit, once used to balance fiscal discipline with spending priorities, has become a political game of chicken. How did we get here?

In the race to succeed Angela Merkel, all the major contenders are trying to present themselves as having the same style and stability of Germany鈥檚 鈥淢adame Chancellor鈥澛犫�� the men included.

Whether for a company or an individual, a zero-emission lifestyle is hard to achieve. That鈥檚 why a market for 鈥渙ffsets鈥� is surging 鈥� and controversial.

Despite the often-raucous debates over pandemic protocols in schools, high school athletic directors have quietly been finding ways to keep students in the game.

What did it take for a woman in Victorian times to be seen as an artist in her own right? For one of Britain鈥檚 most famous poets, it meant separating her ideas from those of her father and husband.

Leaders of four big democracies in the Indo-Pacific region 鈥� Japan, India, Australia, and the United States 鈥� met in person for the first time Friday. The summit at the White House was focused on crafting a vision for a free and open region, one defined by shared values, presumably not by a common fear of China. Based on China鈥檚 behavior in recent days, the group, dubbed 鈥渢he Quad,鈥� could have the potential to become an attractive force for good.

China鈥檚 latest military encroachments on islands close to its neighbors have certainly raised alarms. China has also curbed trade with Australia for criticizing it. Yet when Australia announced Sept. 15 that it would build nuclear submarines with U.S. assistance, China reacted in a very unexpected way.

The next day, it requested to join a free-trade group of 11 Asian-Pacific nations known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) formed in 2018. Joining this trade club would lock China into being a responsible player in the region, abiding by rules of open markets, fair competition, and minimal government manipulation 鈥� or something in the spirit of the Quad. Unlike its illegal taking of islands, it would need to follow rule of law.

For six days, this seemed like a new China. Then on Sept. 22, Taiwan, the island nation that Beijing sees as a breakaway province, said it also wanted to join the CPTPP. Taiwan was quick to point out why it is the better candidate. 鈥淲e have the foundation of democracy and the rule of law so all our regulations are transparent and we respect private properties,鈥� said John Deng, Taipei鈥檚 lead trade negotiator.聽

Like the Quad, Taiwan prefers to lead by example. Its democratic values could give it a leg up in being admitted to the trade bloc. That possibility made China all too aware of its shortcomings. It lashed out. On Sept. 23, it sent 24 Chinese planes 鈥� including 18 fighter jets and two nuclear-capable bombers 鈥� into Taiwan鈥檚 air defense identification zone. The planes were more a signal than a real threat.

This series of events shows how clubs of nations based on freedom 鈥� either democratic freedoms or freedom of trade 鈥� can influence nations with little freedom. China is not being encircled by the military might of democracies as much by the light of those democracies.