January 05, 2017
Branstad’s nomination shines spotlight on Iowa internationalism
The significance of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s nomination to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China reaches well beyond his much-reported friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Branstad’s relationship with Xi will be an asset, so will his experience managing Iowa’s growing integration with the markets and communities beyond America’s borders. From jobs to research to education, Iowa has benefited tremendously from its increasing global engagement — and it would be a tragedy for Iowans to give in to the isolationist sentiment now threatening to subvert our politics.
While studying abroad years ago in Nanjing, I was frequently asked which state I was from. When I replied “Iowa,” a surprising number of my Chinese classmates nodded in recognition. Agriculture and food security are critical concerns to fast-growing countries like China, and the influence of Iowa’s farms and factories reaches across the globe in ways not always apparent from my hometown of Indianola.
Indeed, it isn’t just coastal states with massive port cities that benefit from international engagement and trade. Last year, the Hawkeye State sold $13 billion in exports abroad, supporting more than 100,000 jobs and 2,800 small- and medium-sized businesses.
Read the full article at The Des Moines Register.
More from CNAS
-
What Kind of Great Power Will India Be? | The Quad Power
Commentary
This article was originally published on Foreign Affairs.As Tellis makes clear, India’s long-held strategy of promoting a multipolar world order has become counterproductive f...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Middle East Security
Ep. 45 | Global Swing States and the New Great Power CompetitionWith the future of the global order hinging on the outcome of today’s great power competition, a group of multi-aligned states has emerged with a growing ability to influence ...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
America’s New Plan to Defeat China in the AI Race | Trump | Xi JinpingIn an exclusive HT Podcast video interview, Vivek Chilukuri of the Center for a New American Security gives insight into the rapidly evolving global race for artificial intell...
By Vivek Chilukuri
-
Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
What It Takes to Stop the Next Salt TyphoonThis article was originally published on Just Security.Nearly a year after U.S. agencies identified one of the most severe cyber breaches of U.S. telecommunications companies,...
By Morgan Peirce
