FP This Week: What’s next for NATO?

Plus, Sweden’s membership bid moves forward. Follow FP for the latest. JULY 11, 2023  |  [VIEW IN BROWSER](  |  [SUBSCRIBE](     Mark Harris Illustration for Foreign Policy In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron said that NATO was “brain-dead.” Three years on, NATO is the bulwark of the trans-Atlantic West against an expansionist Kremlin. As the alliance’s leaders gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week, FP’s Stefan Theil [writes]( that “all of a sudden, we’re talking about the defense-industrial complex again, tallying ammunition production and counting tanks.” But the bloc operates in a very different world from that of the Cold War, when it saw its greatest triumph. To give us a sense of how a revitalized NATO might address the many challenges it now faces, FP asked nine experts for their view on [NATO’s next decade](. Read on for perspectives from Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Angela Stent, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and more. On the eve of the historic summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to admit Sweden to NATO, despite months of [pushback]( and an eleventh-hour demand that Turkey be allowed to join the EU. Keep up with the latest news and analysis from Vilnius; add “NATO” to your [My FP]( preferences and sign up for FP’s [Situation Report](.—The editors   New and Noteworthy - Trump’s Most Enduring Legacy Isn’t What You Think: In one of the great misjudgments of modern times, trade experts in the quarter-century after the Cold War assured Americans that China and other newly emergent developing nations wouldn’t harm prosperity or cause serious social and political divisions. In his review of a new book from Donald Trump’s trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, FP’s Michael Hirsh [considers]( the impact of that administration’s trade policy and its disruption of the neoliberal consensus. - Lessons for the Next Arab Spring: If only briefly, [the Arab Spring]( held the promise that the United States could finally resolve its “democratic dilemma” in the Middle East. Ten years after Egypt’s coup, Washington has yet to learn that authoritarian stability is an illusion, [argues]( Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution. - Apple’s $3 trillion valuation: What sets Apple apart from all of its competitors? According to Adam Tooze, it’s the firm’s manufacturing prowess. Could Apple, with all its cash, expand its business to become a major financial institution? And what does Apple’s history teach us about the meaning of globalization? For answers to these questions and more, tune in to the [latest episode]( of Ones and Tooze. Insiders can read highlights from the conversation [here](.   FP Live How to Reset the U.S.-China RelationshipJuly 20, 2023 | 11 a.m. EDT U.S. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna says Washington needs to rebalance its economic relationship with Beijing. Khanna will join FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal for an in-depth discussion about not only China, but also Ukraine, U.S. national security priorities, trade policy, and more. [Register here](.   Exercise Your Mind Which head of government did U.S. President Joe Biden host at the White House on Wednesday? - Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store - Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen - Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson - Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo You can find the answer to this question at the end of this email. [Click here]( to take the rest of our weekly news quiz.   Expert voices, intelligent analysis. [Get FP access today](.   Q&A: How China’s Panda Diplomacy Opened Hearts, Minds, and Borders Foreign Policy spoke with Gloria Dickie, the author of [Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future](, a forthcoming book that delves into the mysterious existences of the world’s eight remaining bear species. Foreign Policy: How unique is the idea of panda diplomacy in modern geopolitics? Do we also see, say, giraffe diplomacy or peacock diplomacy? Gloria Dickie: I think it’s pretty unique, and I think that’s because China has the dominant market for pandas, right—they have a monopoly on pandas. Other countries can’t necessarily claim a super charismatic animal all to themselves that other nations don’t have, which gives China a lot of power when it comes to who gets pandas and who gets to keep their pandas. Tigers, for sure, are super charismatic megafauna, but they’re spread out over many nations, so one country can’t cash in entirely on their clout. FP: But the panda wasn’t always the cultural icon that it is today, as you note in your book. When did Chinese officials realize that the panda could be more than just a panda? GD: I think that’s probably starting around the 1950s, with Chairman Mao Zedong. That was when we first began to see the inklings of panda diplomacy. [Former U.S. President Richard] Nixon came over in the 1970s, and China sent him two pandas back as a gift, back to the National Zoo in D.C, and I think that was kind of what sparked interest. There was also a really famous case with this American heiress who had gone to China in 1936 in the hopes of bringing back a live panda cub to America, and that cub was called Su Lin. It was a very kind of dashing tale of adventure with her going to get this panda. But there was a fierce bidding competition to get the panda cub. Chicago ended up getting the cub, and that was kind of the first Western obsession with the panda. Then everyone wanted to go get pandas, and China outlawed and cracked down on foreigners getting pandas… Read the full interview on [ForeignPolicy.com](   Most Popular on FP [Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shake hands next to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 10.]( [Erdogan Finally Agrees to Let Sweden Into NATO]( Following eleventh-hour negotiations, Turkey’s president dropped his previous opposition. By Alexandra Sharp [The NATO membership ceremony for West Germany on May 9, 1955 at Louveciennes, near Paris.]( [Ukraine Could Be the Next West Germany]( Territorial conflict wasn’t a hurdle for NATO membership after World War II. Should it be today? 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Togun [Erdogan Finally Agrees to Let Sweden Into NATO]( Following eleventh-hour negotiations, Turkey’s president dropped his previous opposition. By Alexandra Sharp [Ukraine Could Be the Next West Germany](Territorial conflict wasn’t a hurdle for NATO membership after World War II. Should it be today? By Anchal Vohra [What Is Pedro Sánchez Thinking?](There is a strategy behind the Spanish prime minister’s call for early elections. By Omar G. Encarnación [Russia’s War Comes for Academia](Severed ties between U.S. and Russian scholars are straining the field to a breaking point. By Clara Gutman-Argemí [Don’t Let Ethiopia off the Hook](Restoring Washington’s ties with Addis Ababa must not come at the expense of justice and accountability for human rights violations. By Kate Hixon, Kehinde A. Togun   From Around FP - When Biden Met Modi: FP’s Ravi Agrawal, who spent many years as CNN’s New Delhi bureau chief, joined New Lines Magazine’s The Lede podcast to discuss U.S.-India relations following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Washington. “If U.S. policymakers are under the illusion that when there’s a hypothetical war with China, India would come rushing to America’s aid,” Agrawal said, “then they are mistaken.” Listen to the full episode on [Apple](, [Spotify](, or wherever you get your podcasts. - Janet Yellen Goes to China: “The main issue at stake in 2023 is not interest rate differentials but the risk of war,” FP columnist Adam Tooze writes on U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to Beijing. Read more in the latest edition of [Chartbook](. - Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: South Africa’s Mail & Guardian reports that the country lost about $2 billion in 2019 from the estimated costs of gender-based violence, including hospital bills, loss of productivity, and judicial costs. On the latest episode of [The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women](, we talk to two groups of male allies in South Africa influencing fellow men in unique ways. Listen on [Apple](, [Spotify](, or wherever you get your podcasts. Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? [Explore partnership opportunities](. Answer: 3.) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Biden and Kristersson reaffirmed their commitment to Sweden’s NATO accession. The Scandinavian country is in a position to swiftly integrate into the military alliance, FP’s Elisabeth Braw [writes](. foreignpolicy.com/subscribe Geopolitics matters [Get a closer look at the big picture. Access FP's daily reporting and analysis of global politics, plus magazine packages that go deeper than the headlines.](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](foreignpolicy.com/subscribe)   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( You’re receiving this email at {EMAIL} because you signed up for the FP This Week newsletter. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Reach the [right online audience]( with us. [Foreign Policy]( is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2023 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.