The United States has incentives to outsource the production of weapons, as its domestic capacity is insufficient to meet its needs. Co-production benefits others. But it’s also likely to lead to proliferation across borders, create regional security tensions and increase the risk of conflict.

Washington does not want the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to escalate, as that would undermine its “pivot to Asia” strategy. But it doesn’t mind so much when Israel attacks Iran because that serves as a sort of proxy warning to other hostile forces in the Middle East.

The French president has no intention of rushing troops into Ukraine without first getting his country’s allies to buy in. However, his rhetoric has be alarming, leading to serious discussions about escalation. It’s a very dangerous development.

If Donald Trump returns to the White House next year, it might represent a turnaround for Russia. Although President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would prefer Joe Biden, he also cannot fail to see an opportunity in Trump to continue his quest to restore Russian dominance, starting with Ukraine.

While Central Asia is caught between two adversarial powers, it is unlikely to distance itself from Russia and China due to its geographical proximity and the already well-established ties between these nations.

The doctrine of “assertive transparency” has dramatically escalated South China Sea tensions. Among other things, it has paved the way to the alignment of the U.S., Japan and Philippines in the impending April summit.

Confrontations over the South China Sea are startling events that bring up the potential for heated conflict, but disagreements in troubled waters have ripple effects that lead to economic problems as well.

As more relatively weak countries find themselves unable to stay out of the war, China must walk a careful path. It must avoid and mitigate risks, safeguard its national interests and put Ukraine on the road to peace at an early date. To this end, it needs a more flexible and pragmatic strategy.

With Vladimir Putin hinting at the possible use of nuclear weapons and Europe responding more aggressively, the prospect of victory seems to be tilting away from Ukraine. China’s diplomatic maneuvering for peace should set an example for the international community.

The possibility of another Trump-style leader in the United States — perhaps even Donald Trump himself — has shaken Europe to its roots. Europe cannot replace American hegemony. Thus, its only course is to accelerate toward “strategic autonomy” to become less dependent on the U.S. security umbrella, which has been in place since World War II.