A Nation Must Think Before it Acts
Rubles, Dollars, and Power
A nation must think before it acts.
Texas National Security Review
The 2018 National Defense Strategy articulates a clear vision that “[t]he central challenge to U.S. prosperity and security is the reemergence of long-term, strategic competition” with authoritarian Russia and China. Such long-term competition has many facets, but perhaps the most salient component is the economic performance of these competitors. Economic growth, financial power, and technological development are the engines for military capability and diplomatic leverage. To paraphrase Cicero, the sinews of competition are infinite money.