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Turkey’s Cabinet Reshuffle Sets the Stage for Its Next President

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  Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is laying the groundwork for a dynastic succession—and disposing of democratic institutions that might obstruct it. On February 11, Turkish lawmakers came to blows on the parliament floor over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to appoint new justice and interior ministers. Cabinet reshuffles are routine in Erdogan’s Turkey, serving as a calculated mechanism to purge insufficiently loyal officials and replace them with figures willing to faithfully execute his increasingly authoritarian agenda. This latest reshuffle, however, carries far greater significance: it appears to reflect Erdogan’s deliberate effort to facilitate a seamless transfer of power to his son, Bilal Erdogan. The professional histories and loyalties of the newly appointed ministers suggest they were selected not for technocratic competence, but for their proven willingness to weaponize state institutions against political challengers—most notably the main opposition ...
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The Risks and Opportunities of Sanae Takaichi’s Big Triumph in Japan

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  Takaichi’s broad support and growing military could make Japan a stronger US ally, but also threaten its other relationships in the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier this month, the new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi scored a major election victory, solidifying her party’s control in Japan’s national parliament. This win has given her an impressive mandate for change and will inevitably impact regional security in the Asia-Pacific. Takaichi has shown an inclination to challenge China directly. This, along with her perceived effectiveness in partnering with President Donald Trump, constitute key parts of her foreign policy program, which appealed to the Japanese electorate. From the US point of view, it’s good to have a strong, unified ally in Japan. But there are also risks to consider as Tokyo aims to shed some of its traditional caution in the realm of national defense. Washington should steer Tokyo in the right direction by urging Takaichi to double down on arms and do...
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Donald Trump’s “Maritime Action Plan” Is Sound Policy

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  The new plan calls for six fundamental—and badly needed—changes to America’s ailing shipbuilding sector. America is no longer a maritime nation—but the Trump administration wants it to be. Last week, the White House released its long-awaited “Maritime Action Plan,” a document intended to set in motion a thoroughgoing renaissance in nautical affairs. Of course, the United States has not evacuated the oceans and seas. It still deploys the world’s premier—though no longer its largest—navy. But a navy is only part of a much larger enterprise involving domestic industrial production, construction of fleets of merchantmen as well as warships, and access to foreign harbors. Naval , then, is a subset of  maritime . Maritime strategy is an all-consuming pursuit. The Maritime Action Plan aims at revivifying the maritime industrial base and the much-shrunken US-built and -flagged commercial fleet, not just to help America prosper economically but to supply US expeditionary fo...
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America Is Building a New “Liberty Ship” for the 21st Century

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  US startup Blue Water Autonomy is developing a fully autonomous cargo boat in partnership with Dutch shipbuilder Damen. During World War II, the United States mass-produced a class of cargo ships known as “Liberty Ships.” With more than 2,700 of the class built between 1941 and 1945, the Liberty Ship continues to hold the record for the most large ships ever built on a single design. The low-cost, quickly-produced vessels quickly proved vital to the war effort, transporting massive amounts of cargo and personnel across war theaters in the Atlantic and the Pacific. In total, the Liberty Ships accounted for two-thirds of all US wartime cargo transported to the various theaters of operation during the conflict. In a potential war in the Indo-Pacific, the US military will again need to move equipment, and work is already underway on a 21st-century Liberty Ship. Although the role and cargo capacity will be similar, the new version will be a little different, notably in that it won’t r...
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Fueling the Future: South Korea’s Capital and America’s Nuclear Reboot

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  South Korean investment in America’s fuel supply chain could reduce reliance on Russia while securing enriched uranium access for both allies. America’s nuclear dreams are back in vogue. After decades of stagnation, Washington now talks about tripling nuclear capacity by 2050, reviving old plants, and deploying fleets of small modular reactors (SMRs). But there is a catch: reactors without fuel are just costly iron. While political speeches extol nuclear power as a climate and security panacea, reality bites in the details of uranium enrichment and fuel supply, the intangible infrastructure that quietly sustains every gigawatt of atomic output. South Korean capital might prove to be the unexpected linchpin. A Supply Chain Under Stress The supply chain for low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), the feedstock for conventional reactors and advanced SMRs, respectively, is heavily dominated by Russia. Russia’s Rosatom and its affili...
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How Do China’s and India’s Air Forces Stack Up?

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  China’s air force is stronger than India’s—but much of it is tied down in the Pacific, allowing India to punch above its weight. China and India are the world’s two largest countries by population, with India recently surpassing China. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are also Asia’s two largest military powers—and have a historic rivalry across the Himalaya Mountains of central Asia. Both states are nuclear-armed, and both are working to expand their respective air fleets. Indeed, with flashpoints along their contested border and in the Indian Ocean, the relative abilities of each nation’s air power is increasingly relevant. Today, China holds a quantitative and technological advantage in airpower, while India retains geographic and defensive strengths. But both nations are working to update their capabilities—in a matchup that reflects broader great power competition in Asia.  China’s Air Force Is Somewhat Stronger than India’s China has a large fleet of nearly 2,000 combat ai...
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Does the US Military Ever Use Cessna Planes? Here’s What to Know

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  Cessna’s focus on cheap, reliable propeller aircraft may seem anachronistic in the era of fighter jets—yet its planes have long played supporting roles for the US military. Cessna is best known as a civilian general aviation manufacturer, associated with flight schools, private pilots, and bush flying. Yet Cessna aircraft have long played a quiet but important role in military operations—not in high-end combat, obviously, but in providing versatile, affordable, and adaptable platforms in support roles.  What’s So Great About Cessna? Founded in 1927, Cessna is a major producer of light aircraft. Known for the Cessna 172—the single most produced aircraft in history, with at least 45,000 of the model built—and the Cessna 182 and Caravan utility aircraft, Cessna planes have a reputation for being safe and reliable, though perhaps unglamorous. Cessnas have long served as a staple of training and transport platforms—meaning there’s a good chance that if you lea...
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As America and Iran Move Toward War, Turkey Is Caught in the Middle.

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  Few nations in the Middle East have more to lose from a broader US-Iran war than Turkey. The drumbeat of possible US military strikes against Iran is growing louder as indirect diplomacy continues amid high-stakes speculation about its imminent failure. Washington has signaled it is prepared to escalate if talks collapse; Tehran is warning it will retaliate against US forces in the region if attacked—and will not limit itself to tit-for-tat strikes. This is the kind of escalatory symmetry that turns a crisis into a cascade. The inconclusive talks in Geneva on Tuesday underscored the problem: neither side appears ready to concede enough to lock in a durable off-ramp. In that narrowing space, Turkey’s room for maneuver is limited—but it is wrong to assume that Ankara has been passive. Over recent weeks, it has tried to keep a diplomatic track alive, quietly testing what might be politically saleable to both sides. As Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has argued in recent week...
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