The incident between Admiral Harris and the Obama Administration, if there was one, centered on policy. Effectively engaging China at the Nuclear Security Summit was seen much more productive than confronting China with U.S. military might. Offering counsel and then potentially having to implement policy that goes against that counsel is difficult, but a fundamental premise of civil-military relations.

From time immemorial, traditional Chinese fishermen have continuously, reasonably and with certainty plied their trade in the semi-enclosed waters of the South China Sea. These traditional fishing practices date back a long time, have been invariable and unbroken, and conform to basic principles of justice and utility.

The signing of a U.S.-China Memorandum of Understanding about air and maritime encounters provides a safety valve against any contingency in the South China Sea, but unlawful American provocations in the area continue to test relations between Washington and Beijing.

The high-altitude system would achieve none of its stated goals if deployed, but would shake the fragile trust of Beijing and Moscow toward Washington. The US should learn some lessons from the Cuban missile crisis and NATO’s eastward expansion, understand and respect other countries’ security concerns, and take some concrete measures to ease instead of aggravate the tension in the Korean Peninsula.

The destiny of all mankind has never been so closely intertwined as it is today, and Europe and China can use their long traditions of multi-culturalism to help shape a world order that offers inclusiveness, dialogue, cooperation, development and peace for all.

The basic tone of China-US relations remains positive and cooperative, as the countries’ collaborative approach on Iran and the DPRK have shown in the past year. While differences are here to stay, particularly in the South China Sea, they can be managed -- thanks to the smooth channels of communication between the two sides and the recent bilateral agreement on mutual notification of major military actions and the rules of behavior for air and maritime encounters.

There is little doubt that the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has lost Chinese public opinion. Doug Bandow argues that it would help if the U.S. and its allies, most obviously the Republic of Korea and Japan, made it easier for Beijing to effectively join America’s anti-Pyongyang coalition.

The Obama administration has attached great importance to space cooperation, as stressed in recent official documents on space security, even as it seeks capacity to deter potential adversaries from attacking American space assets. The best way ahead is to formulate an international code of behavior for the interests of all space-faring countries and for the peaceful and sustainable development of outer space.

Many countries have strengthened the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities, and stronger regulations have been put into place. Now that the Nuclear Security Summits are said to have served their purpose, it is time to translate political stances into additional concrete measures and investment in nuclear security.

Overthrowing the autocratic regime of Saddam Hussein inflamed the Sunni-Shiite rivalry in the Middle East, and provided a breeding ground for the Islamic State. The new wave of terror attacks in Europe is also the bitter result of its irresponsible policies during the Arab Spring, and the consequences are fueling ongoing resentment toward Western governments.