October 28, 2025
A New Era of Strongman Rulers Is Upon Us
This article was originally published in The New York Times.
When President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China meet this week, the world will be watching to see if they can lock in a framework trade agreement and finally restore a sense of lasting stability and predictability to the world’s most consequential relationship.
Don’t count on it.
The consequences of strongman rule seep into the fabric of economies and everyday life.
Whatever rhetoric or handshake deals come out of their planned encounter at a regional summit in South Korea, they are unlikely to signify more than a momentary truce between two leaders unchecked by domestic or institutional constraints and free to change course on a whim.
Welcome to the new strongman era.
Read the full article in The New York Times.
More from CNAS
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Transatlantic Security
Why the U.S. Should Unlock Allied CooperationAmerica’s allies are cooperating in a growing variety of domains. In their recent Foreign Affairs piece, former NATO Ambassador Julie Smith and former National Security Counci...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Trump's Trade Talks and Europe with Liz Economy and Mikko Huotari
Podcast
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping on October 30, 2025, ended with a temporary truce between the two leaders. While thi...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Mike McFaul on Autocrats vs Democrats
Podcast
Are we in a new Cold War? That is the question Mike McFaul takes on in his new book, Autocrats versus Democrats: Russia, China, America, and the New Global Disorder. McFaul ar...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Did Europe Change Trump's Mind on Ukraine?
Podcast
The Trump administration made a major move this week in its announcement of sanctions on major Russian oil companies Rosneft and Luke Oil, along with 31 subsidiaries. This fol...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
