Nation States: Xi’s Washington Visit and the Test of U.S. Leverage

As Xi Jinping heads to Washington for another summit with President Trump, the real question is not what gets announced, but what gets delivered. Steve Yates explains why implementation matters more than optics and examines the key tests facing U.S.-China relations, from AI controls and Taiwan to I…

Nation States: China’s AI Playbook and America’s Red Line

China’s top security officials have laid out their biggest fears about artificial intelligence and the roadmap they believe will keep the Chinese Communist Party in control. Steve Yates breaks down a rare public window into Beijing’s thinking, from deepfakes and cyber warfare to data security, chip…

Nation States: Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong, and China's Defining Test

Jimmy Lai's imprisonment has become a measure of far more than one man's fate. Steve Yates examines how the jailed Hong Kong publisher's story challenges decades of U.S. assumptions about China's political future, Hong Kong's promised autonomy, and whether Beijing still has room for voices outside …

Nation States: Are We at War? The Constitution, Iran, and Presidential Power

When does a military conflict become a war, and who gets to decide? Steve Yates examines the constitutional, legal, and political debate surrounding U.S. military action, using the ongoing confrontation with Iran as a real-world case study. From declarations of war and presidential authority to the…

Nation States: Canada, China, and the Future of North America

A surprising question at a Canadian security conference sparks a bigger conversation about the future of the U.S.-Canada relationship. Steve Yates looks beyond headlines and political rhetoric to examine Canada's economic stagnation, military readiness, growing interest in deeper ties with China, a…

Nation States: Adoption and the American Idea of Belonging

America adopts more children into permanent families than any other wealthy nation, and Steve Yates argues that fact reveals something deeper about the American idea itself. Drawing from adoption data, international comparisons, personal experience as an adoptive father, and a memorable White House…

Nation States: A White House Witness to 9/11, 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, Steve Yates shares a firsthand account from inside the White House complex as America came under attack. Drawing on his experience serving on the vice president’s national security staff, he reflects on the confusion, evacuation, continuity of government,…

Nation States: Trump, Xi, and the Real Stakes of September's Summit

As Xi Jinping prepares to visit Washington for a high-stakes summit with President Trump, Steve Yates looks past the diplomatic theater to focus on what matters for everyday Americans. From trade commitments and farm exports to Taiwan, advanced technology, Iran, and the detention of U.S. citizens i…

Nation States: Economic Outcast and America’s Iran Strategy

A major shift in U.S. strategy toward Iran may redefine how America uses power abroad. Steve Yates breaks down Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s newly announced Operation Economic Outcast, a campaign aimed at cutting off Iran’s financial lifelines and isolating the regime from the global economy. …

Nation States: Why America’s Political Parties Matter

America’s founders never included political parties in the Constitution, and George Washington warned against them. Yet today, parties organize elections, shape government, recruit candidates, build coalitions, and influence nearly every level of public life. Steve Yates explains how America’s part…