Stephen Wertheim
@stephenwertheim.bsky.social
America in the world, past and present / Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program, @carnegieendowment.org / Visiting Lecturer, Yale Law School / Historian and author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy / Views my own, obviously
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
The Russia-Ukraine peace deal is not a loss. Nor is it a victory | Stephen Wertheim
The Russia-Ukraine peace deal is not a loss. Nor is it a victory | Stephen Wertheim
The conflict is neither a clear-cut defeat nor a feel-good victory, but an in-between outcome that contains profound elements of each
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The Russia-Ukraine peace deal is not a loss. Nor is it a victory | Stephen Wertheim
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
The Ukraine war offers neither a clear-cut defeat nor a feel-good victory: "Ukraine has achieved astonishing successes that must be retained; it has also suffered immense losses that will not be redeemed." Peace will come only in facing both sides of that verdict. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Russia-Ukraine peace deal is not a loss. Nor is it a victory | Stephen Wertheim
The conflict is neither a clearcut defeat nor a feelgood victory, but an in-between outcome that contains profound elements of each
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The Ukraine war offers neither a clear-cut defeat nor a feel-good victory: "Ukraine has achieved astonishing successes that must be retained; it has also suffered immense losses that will not be redeemed." Peace will come only in facing both sides of that verdict. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Take the win, and the loss, in Ukraine.
Ukraine risks becoming the latest victim of America's chronic inability to see the outcomes of its wars for what they are.
My thoughts in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ukraine risks becoming the latest victim of America's chronic inability to see the outcomes of its wars for what they are.
My thoughts in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Russia-Ukraine peace deal is not a loss. Nor is it a victory | Stephen Wertheim
The conflict is neither a clear-cut defeat nor a feel-good victory, but an in-between outcome that contains profound elements of each
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Take the win, and the loss, in Ukraine.
Ukraine risks becoming the latest victim of America's chronic inability to see the outcomes of its wars for what they are.
My thoughts in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ukraine risks becoming the latest victim of America's chronic inability to see the outcomes of its wars for what they are.
My thoughts in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
To restore stability in the Taiwan Strait, Trump and Xi “should initiate working-level talks to formulate a new U.S.-Chinese joint communiqué or, failing that, a pair of parallel statements,” argues @stephenwertheim.bsky.social.
Toward a Taiwan Truce
How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.
www.foreignaffairs.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM
To restore stability in the Taiwan Strait, Trump and Xi “should initiate working-level talks to formulate a new U.S.-Chinese joint communiqué or, failing that, a pair of parallel statements,” argues @stephenwertheim.bsky.social.
Curious for a journalist to mischaracterize this piece of mine, which explicitly calls on the Trump admin to *reject* Beijing's requests for the United States to "support peaceful reunification" or "oppose Taiwan independence." There isn't a single Beijing "diktat" that I propose accepting.
Curious how some commentators are so glibly urging the Trump administration to bend to Beijing's diktat toward a territory it has never controlled. "For the first time...the U.S. would specify peaceful unification as one of the outcomes it would accept" www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...
Toward a Taiwan Truce
How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.
www.foreignaffairs.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Curious for a journalist to mischaracterize this piece of mine, which explicitly calls on the Trump admin to *reject* Beijing's requests for the United States to "support peaceful reunification" or "oppose Taiwan independence." There isn't a single Beijing "diktat" that I propose accepting.
When Trump and Xi meet on Thursday, they should take bold action to the reduce the risk of war over Taiwan.
My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com (read for free at this gift link): www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com (read for free at this gift link): www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
Toward a Taiwan Truce
How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.
www.foreignaffairs.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:24 PM
When Trump and Xi meet on Thursday, they should take bold action to the reduce the risk of war over Taiwan.
My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com (read for free at this gift link): www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com (read for free at this gift link): www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
(2/2) . . . given the strategic importance it evidently now assigns to Taiwan, and US political support for Taiwan's democracy. And as long as that is the case, Beijing will not retreat from threatening the use of force.
October 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
(2/2) . . . given the strategic importance it evidently now assigns to Taiwan, and US political support for Taiwan's democracy. And as long as that is the case, Beijing will not retreat from threatening the use of force.
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
(1/2) This is a great summary of the current situation, partly because it accepts that all three parties have played a role in fueling tensions. But here's the key sticking point: Washington may no longer be willing to accept the possibility of peaceful unification . . .
October 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
(1/2) This is a great summary of the current situation, partly because it accepts that all three parties have played a role in fueling tensions. But here's the key sticking point: Washington may no longer be willing to accept the possibility of peaceful unification . . .
Trump and Xi should exchange assurances — ideally in a new U.S.-PRC joint communiqué — to stabilize cross-strait relations and reduce military activities around Taiwan. My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...
Toward a Taiwan Truce
How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.
www.foreignaffairs.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Trump and Xi should exchange assurances — ideally in a new U.S.-PRC joint communiqué — to stabilize cross-strait relations and reduce military activities around Taiwan. My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...
“This is not liberal internationalism of the traditional variety, which realists would criticize for privileging support for democratic forces over America’s interests,” Wertheim said. “But it is a new, specifically Trumpian form of domestic interventionism.”
NOTUS asked more than a dozen Republican lawmakers, current and former administration officials and experts how they would characterize Trump’s foreign policy program.
Few were able to pin it down.
www.notus.org/foreign-poli...
Few were able to pin it down.
www.notus.org/foreign-poli...
Trump Expands His Foreign Policy Footprint as the Shutdown Rages On
The president’s moves from Argentina to Ukraine are raising eyebrows among the most ardent “America First” proponents.
www.notus.org
October 24, 2025 at 4:16 PM
“This is not liberal internationalism of the traditional variety, which realists would criticize for privileging support for democratic forces over America’s interests,” Wertheim said. “But it is a new, specifically Trumpian form of domestic interventionism.”
With this executive order, pledging to defend Qatar against any armed attack, Trump further entangles the United States in the conflicts, present and future, of the Middle East. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Assuring the Security of the State of Qatar
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in recognition of the enduring alliance
www.whitehouse.gov
October 1, 2025 at 6:00 PM
With this executive order, pledging to defend Qatar against any armed attack, Trump further entangles the United States in the conflicts, present and future, of the Middle East. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
No need for analysis when he's just saying it.
September 30, 2025 at 4:06 PM
No need for analysis when he's just saying it.
Having come to power exploiting the fears spawned by perpetual war abroad, Trump is defining the enemy of his war at home just as expansively. www.newyorker.com/news/our-col...
How Trump Brought Home the Endless War
Having come to power exploiting the fears spawned by perpetual war abroad, the President is defining the enemy of his war at home just as expansively.
www.newyorker.com
September 28, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Having come to power exploiting the fears spawned by perpetual war abroad, Trump is defining the enemy of his war at home just as expansively. www.newyorker.com/news/our-col...
My remarks at Harvard's Weatherhead Forum: We have to come to grips with the errors of post-Cold War foreign policy — and not hide behind the post-1945 legacy — in order to understand the current moment and forge a better way forward. youtu.be/uGxZGIftNAE?...
The Post-World War II International Order is Not the Point: Remarks at Harvard's Weatherhead Forum
YouTube video by Stephen Wertheim
youtu.be
September 21, 2025 at 6:29 PM
My remarks at Harvard's Weatherhead Forum: We have to come to grips with the errors of post-Cold War foreign policy — and not hide behind the post-1945 legacy — in order to understand the current moment and forge a better way forward. youtu.be/uGxZGIftNAE?...
I look forward to this conversation on Wednesday 9/17. Register now to join us:
Join us on September 17 @12pm ET for our first Weatherhead Forum of the year: "From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After Eighty Years." This event is on Zoom and requires registration. For details, see our event listing: https://loom.ly/4cyzbws
September 16, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I look forward to this conversation on Wednesday 9/17. Register now to join us:
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
Join us on September 17 @12pm ET for our first Weatherhead Forum of the year: "From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After Eighty Years." This event is on Zoom and requires registration. For details, see our event listing: https://loom.ly/4cyzbws
August 29, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Join us on September 17 @12pm ET for our first Weatherhead Forum of the year: "From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After Eighty Years." This event is on Zoom and requires registration. For details, see our event listing: https://loom.ly/4cyzbws
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
🪖The title says it all. In the meantime, U.S. military spending and globalization continue to grow. @stephenwertheim.bsky.social #EmpireOfLiberty Trump Is a Situational Man in a Structural Bind www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/o...
Opinion | Trump Is a Situational Man in a Structural Bind
www.nytimes.com
August 17, 2025 at 5:02 PM
🪖The title says it all. In the meantime, U.S. military spending and globalization continue to grow. @stephenwertheim.bsky.social #EmpireOfLiberty Trump Is a Situational Man in a Structural Bind www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/o...
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
Looking for a report card on Trump's foreign policy after six months? I recommend this Christopher Chivvis interview of @stephenwertheim.bsky.social
carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/piv...
carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/piv...
Trump 2 at 6 Months: Fury and Furor, But What’s Changed?
carnegieendowment.org
July 29, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Looking for a report card on Trump's foreign policy after six months? I recommend this Christopher Chivvis interview of @stephenwertheim.bsky.social
carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/piv...
carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/piv...
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
Over the past few weeks as starvation in Gaza, long in the making and orchestrated by Israel, has reached unprecedented levels, politicians have finally risked criticism of the regime responsible, Sam Adler-Bell writes.
The Breaking Point
Over the past few weeks as starvation in Gaza, long in the making and orchestrated by Israel, has reached unprecedented levels, politicians have finally risked criticism of the regime responsible, Sam Adler-Bell writes.
nymag.com
August 9, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Over the past few weeks as starvation in Gaza, long in the making and orchestrated by Israel, has reached unprecedented levels, politicians have finally risked criticism of the regime responsible, Sam Adler-Bell writes.
I told @nymag.com: People have memory-holed numerous episodes in the course of the Israel-Gaza War in which there was a new swell of opposition to Israel’s conduct and then it just died out. So I worry that we’re back on that cycle. nymag.com/intelligence...
The Gaza Breaking Point
Political consensus is rapidly shifting as famine looms and Israel escalates. Will it matter?
nymag.com
August 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I told @nymag.com: People have memory-holed numerous episodes in the course of the Israel-Gaza War in which there was a new swell of opposition to Israel’s conduct and then it just died out. So I worry that we’re back on that cycle. nymag.com/intelligence...
I told @foreignpolicy.com: A foreign policy grounded in realism and restraint is still far from being the dominant position in either political party. There’s no question, however, that demand for it is rising, especially on the right, but also on the left, following a period of deference to Biden.
Why Everyone in Washington Is a ‘Realist’ Now
What’s emerging is not yet a new consensus. But neither is it as incoherent as current rhetoric would have you believe.
foreignpolicy.com
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
I told @foreignpolicy.com: A foreign policy grounded in realism and restraint is still far from being the dominant position in either political party. There’s no question, however, that demand for it is rising, especially on the right, but also on the left, following a period of deference to Biden.
I joined ABC Australia's Radio National Hour to analyze Trump's penchant for deadline diplomacy — the hallmark of Trump the performer beating out Trump the realist. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
August 6, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I joined ABC Australia's Radio National Hour to analyze Trump's penchant for deadline diplomacy — the hallmark of Trump the performer beating out Trump the realist. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
On @amprestigepod.bsky.social, @jekavanagh.bsky.social and I talked U.S. strategy toward Taiwan, arguing that in the event of a cross-strait invasion, the United States should assist Taiwan's self-defense but plan not to fight China directly. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm/listen/ameri...
American Prestige | Bonus - The Unwinnable War in Taiwan w/ Jennifer Kavanaugh and Stephen Wertheim (Preview)
americanprestige.supportingcast.fm
August 4, 2025 at 1:14 PM
On @amprestigepod.bsky.social, @jekavanagh.bsky.social and I talked U.S. strategy toward Taiwan, arguing that in the event of a cross-strait invasion, the United States should assist Taiwan's self-defense but plan not to fight China directly. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm/listen/ameri...
I joined History As It Happens to expand on my argument that Trump faces a structural bind that inhibits him from being a peacemaker. Thanks for the fun conversation, @martindicaro.bsky.social. sites.libsyn.com/317972/trump...
History As It Happens: Trump and the Structures of 'Forever War'
Since 1945, has there been an antiwar U.S. president? Is it even possible to be an antiwar president when one has at his disposal history's most powerful war machine and is expected to maintain Americ...
sites.libsyn.com
August 1, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I joined History As It Happens to expand on my argument that Trump faces a structural bind that inhibits him from being a peacemaker. Thanks for the fun conversation, @martindicaro.bsky.social. sites.libsyn.com/317972/trump...
Reposted by Stephen Wertheim
Presidents can promise to be peacemakers, but the structures of U.S. primacy tilt toward war and violence.
My conversation w/ historian @stephenwertheim on why it's so difficult for the U.S. to avoid "entanglements."
Podcast: historyasithappens.libsyn.com/trump-and-th...
My conversation w/ historian @stephenwertheim on why it's so difficult for the U.S. to avoid "entanglements."
Podcast: historyasithappens.libsyn.com/trump-and-th...
History As It Happens: Trump and the Structures of 'Forever War'
Since 1945, has there been an antiwar U.S. president? Is it even possible to be an antiwar president when one has at his disposal history's most powerful war machine and is expected to maintain Americ...
historyasithappens.libsyn.com
August 1, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Presidents can promise to be peacemakers, but the structures of U.S. primacy tilt toward war and violence.
My conversation w/ historian @stephenwertheim on why it's so difficult for the U.S. to avoid "entanglements."
Podcast: historyasithappens.libsyn.com/trump-and-th...
My conversation w/ historian @stephenwertheim on why it's so difficult for the U.S. to avoid "entanglements."
Podcast: historyasithappens.libsyn.com/trump-and-th...