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Christina Lu

@christinalu.bsky.social
430 followers 161 following 21 posts

energy and environment reporter @foreignpolicy.com // say hi at christina.lu@foreignpolicy.com

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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
NEW in @foreignpolicy.com: As Trump and Xi gear up for their high-stakes meeting, Washington still doesn’t appear to have much of an answer to Beijing’s rare-earth leverage. foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/22/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Xi Comes to Washington Armed With a Rare-Earth Card
Trump still doesn’t have an answer to China’s leverage.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 16/09/2026
Trump’s plan to import 300,000 metric tons of beef has infuriated a key voter base. foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/15/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump Picks the Wrong Beef Before Midterms
The president’s plan to tame soaring beef prices has alienated a key constituency.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
With less than two months to go before high-stakes midterm elections, Trump is facing fierce—and rare—blowback from a key constituency and Republican lawmakers alike. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/15/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump Picks the Wrong Beef Before Midterms
The president’s plan to tame soaring beef prices has alienated a key constituency.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A cautionary tale for Washington’s diversification push. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/24/r...
foreignpolicy.com
Ditching Chinese Rare Earths Is Hard. Just Ask Japan.
A cautionary tale for Washington’s diversification push.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy for America @fp4america.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
In today’s #MustRead, @iyengarish.bsky.social and @christinalu.bsky.social explain why U.S. water systems are becoming an easy target for hackers linked to Iran, with utilities in at least seven states targeted in recent attacks. ⬇️ foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/13/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Why Hackers Keep Going After U.S. Water Supplies
A spate of new attacks believed to be linked to Iran has highlighted the water sector’s vulnerability.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
After a spate of hacks on water infrastructure across the United States (suspected of being carried out by Iran, we looked at why the U.S. water sector in particular is so vulnerable to cyberattacks: foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/13/c... with @christinalu.bsky.social via @foreignpolicy.com
foreignpolicy.com
Why Hackers Keep Going After U.S. Water Supplies
A spate of new attacks believed to be linked to Iran has highlighted the water sector’s vulnerability.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
If the Hormuz conflict has already sent economic shock waves rippling through Europe, this summer’s extreme weather is set to make everything much worse. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/10/e...
foreignpolicy.com
Europe’s Summer of Nightmares
Punishing heat and wildfires have cost billions and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Billions of dollars are being pumped into a global critical minerals boom, and resource-rich countries are eager to come out on top. My deep dive for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/02/c...
foreignpolicy.com
The World’s Mineral Powers Seize Their Moment
Resource-rich countries haven’t always benefited from extraction. Can this time be different?
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Chris Berry @cberry1.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Pleased to have the opportunity to comment here on the long road ahead in wresting control of the rare earth suply chain from China. Thanks @christinalu.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/12/t...
foreignpolicy.com
China’s Rare-Earth Card Looms Over Trump-Xi Summit
For all of the U.S. leader’s efforts, Washington remains deeply vulnerable.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 06/05/2026
As Trump seeks to loosen China’s grip on critical mineral supply chains, there has been a flurry of trade deals that exclude both Beijing and Washington, writes FP’s @christinalu.bsky.social.
foreignpolicy.com
The New Critical Minerals Map
Fears of Chinese and U.S. trade retaliation have spawned deals that exclude both powers.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Qatar produces a third of the world's helium—more than any country except the United States. Iran's recent strike on its largest gas field threatens to cause a domino effect on global semiconductor supplies. With @christinalu.bsky.social for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/27/i...
foreignpolicy.com
The Hormuz Hit to Helium
The Iran war is choking off a critical input for chipmaking and AI infrastructure.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I wrote about how the Iran war is wreaking havoc on an obscure sector that is more important than you’d think @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/17/i...
foreignpolicy.com
The Iran War Comes for the ‘King of Chemicals’
The conflict is wreaking havoc on an obscure sector that is more important than you’d think.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I wrote about the memes for @foreignpolicy.com [GIFT LINK] foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/10/i...
foreignpolicy.com
Meme Wars
Trump has decimated the norms of diplomatic communication, and other countries have followed suit.
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Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
There's no shortage of news in the world, but taking a quick break for a Very Important Pupdate: Meet Luka!* *named after Doncic or Modric, depending on your preferred sport.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Soaring energy prices aren’t the only costs that communities worldwide will bear from the Iran war. The conflict is also coming for food. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/24/i...
foreignpolicy.com
The Iran War Is Coming for Your Grocery Bill
Prices won’t just be higher at the pump.
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Chloe Hadavas @hadavas.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Very excited to share that we're launching a monthly newsletter @foreignpolicy.com to showcase our growing Books coverage, including criticism, excerpts, curated reading lists, and an international fiction column. Sign up for FP Bookshelf here:
foreignpolicy.com
Bookshelf Politics, Relations & Current Affairs – Foreign Policy
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Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
NEW: I have an essay in the 2026 Winter Print Issue @foreignpolicy.com released this week, which examines "The World Minus One" emergence of a post-American global order. foreignpolicy.com/the-magazine...
foreignpolicy.com
FP’s Winter 2026 Print Magazine: The World Minus One
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
essential reading from @kfj-fp.bsky.social in @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/24/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Has Trump’s America Gone Rogue?
The Trump administration’s cavalier approach to the rule of law is the end of an era.
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Marcelo Rinesi @marcelorinesi.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
"Yet the U.S. industry remains deeply dependent on foreign know-how to grow its own sector[...]" To file under today's set of phrases that concisely express how much we are *not* in Kansas any more. by @christinalu.bsky.social also via @adamtooze.bsky.social
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Hyundai Raid Drains U.S. Battery Brains
The United States can’t build the powerful technologies on its own.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 27/09/2025
The United States is publicly and privately pressuring the World Bank and other institutions to boost fossil fuel lending and turn away from green energy efforts, FP’s @christinalu.bsky.social reports.
foreignpolicy.com
Trump Takes His Fossil Fuel Crusade Global
The U.S. leader is pressuring the world to abandon climate action. Will it work?
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Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
For all the Trump-Modi bonhomie, Trump's crackdown on international students coming to the U.S. will disproportionately hurt India. It'll also (per last year's numbers) result in a $44 billion hit to the U.S. economy. Great reporting by @christinalu.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/30/t...
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Trump wants to choke off incoming flows of international students—a group that has long driven scientific innovation in America and pumped tens of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/30/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Who Pays the Price in Trump’s Crusade Against Universities?
International students have pumped billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
In 2021, China joined the Kigali Agreement, and pledged to stop emitting HFC-23, a climate super pollutant 14,700x stronger than CO2. The latest atmospheric readings show China is way off track, @mckennapr.bsky.social & I report in our deep dive: foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/21/c...
foreignpolicy.com
China Claims It Slashed Emissions of a Major Super Pollutant. The Data Says Otherwise.
As of 2023, China continued to emit HFC-23 at high levels in violation of an international agreement.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 29/04/2025
Trump last week signed an executive order that would fast-track efforts to exploit key minerals in both national and international waters, citing the defense of a “core national security and economic interest,” FP’s @christinalu.bsky.social reports.
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Brazen Push to Mine the Ocean Floor
The U.S. leader could pave the way for a gold rush in international waters.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Trump has officially jump-started U.S. efforts to mine the seafloor, pitching the US into the center of a contentious debate that has sparked fears of a race to the bottom in the world's oceans @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Risky Push to Mine the Ocean Floor
The U.S. leader could pave the way for a gold rush in international waters.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Keith Johnson @kfj-fp.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Nothing says winning like blowing up all your own markets. Farmers must be thrilled. Great piece from @christinalu.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/04/t...
foreignpolicy.com
American Farmers Brace for Trade War Pain
The U.S. agricultural sector remains highly vulnerable to retaliation.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
As top U.S. trading partners strike back against Trump’s expanding and increasingly aggressive trade war, American farmers are all but certain to be caught in the middle. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/04/t...
foreignpolicy.com
American Farmers Brace for Trade War Pain
The U.S. agricultural sector remains highly vulnerable to retaliation.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
. @kfj-fp.bsky.social has the rundown on Liberation Day and its sweeping implications. w/ assists from me and @christinalu.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/02/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Brings Even Bigger Tariffs Than Expected
Double-digit tariffs on nearly every trading partner will likely spark reprisals.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada, Mexico, and China is also roiling one of his key voter bases: American farmers. My latest for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/19/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Trade War Roils a Key Voter Base
American farmers risk becoming “collateral damage” of the U.S. president’s go-to foreign-policy tool.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Eric Michael Johnson @ericmjohnson.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
One explanation for Trump’s unprecedented push to annex Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal and extort Ukraine is securing rare earth minerals and a supply chain free from China’s control writes @christinalu.bsky.social. Where prior administrations used diplomacy, Trump relies on blunt force.
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line
What do Greenland, Canada, and Ukraine have in common? Critical minerals.
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Rishi Iyengar @iyengarish.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Few news stories or pieces can capture the unbelievable White House exchange between Trump, Vance, and Zelensky today as well as simply reading it in their own words. @anusharathi.bsky.social and @christinalu.bsky.social have you covered for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Read Trump and Zelensky’s Fiery Oval Office Exchange
The meeting caps weeks of tense relations between Kyiv and Washington as they wrangle a deal.
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Allison Meakem @ameakem.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Most reviews of Oscar nominee "September 5" have focused on its depictions of crisis reporting or Israel-Palestine. But I argue that the film offers an equally keen look at German identity formation after World War II, particularly with regard to defense and military readiness.
foreignpolicy.com
‘September 5’ and the Pitfalls of German Idealism
The Munich Olympics massacre still echoes in the country’s security debates.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
“We had an almost identical, sort of hyperbolic discussion in the media about the minerals and metals under the ground in Afghanistan,” Bazilian told @christinalu.bsky.social, describing the Ukraine hype as “largely a red herring.” foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/26/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line
What do Greenland, Canada, and Ukraine have in common? Critical minerals.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
jae holzman @jael.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Exclusive: The Nature Conservancy was told by @noaa.gov it had to use “Gulf of America” or lose its federal funding, according to a leaked email and memo sent to all staff this morning cc @heatmap.news heatmap.news/climate/natu...
heatmap.news
Nature Conservancy Told to Say ‘Gulf of America’ or Lose Federal Funding
A leaked internal memo reveals why the environmental group adopted President Trump’s new name.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
What do Canada, Greenland, Panama, and Ukraine really have in common? My latest for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/26/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line
What do Greenland, Canada, and Ukraine have in common? Critical minerals.
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Keith Johnson @kfj-fp.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
If Trump’s minerals extortion of Ukraine is confusing to you, imagine how confusing it is to people who know this stuff. For starters, there are none, not of what Trump seems to believe he thinks he is after. (1/5)
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Ukraine does not actually produce any rare earths now, nor has it produced any supplies in recent decades—casting doubt over what a potential deal could actually achieve. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/20/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Where Does the U.S.-Ukraine Rare-Earth Deal Stand?
The prospect of an agreement looks increasingly uncertain.
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Reposted by Christina Lu
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 14/02/2025
Washington and Kyiv appear to be inching closer to a potential rare-earth deal that could see the countries exchange Ukraine’s mineral resources for continued U.S. aid, FP’s @christinalu.bsky.social reports.
foreignpolicy.com
Is the U.S.-Ukraine Rare-Earth Deal All Talk?
Kyiv may have the critical minerals, but that’s just one part of the equation.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Why does Trump want Ukraine's rare earths, and would a deal actually make any sense? My latest for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/12/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Is the U.S.-Ukraine Rare-Earth Deal All Talk?
Kyiv may have the critical minerals, but that’s just one part of the equation.
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Alexandra Sharp @alexandrassharp.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Reality dating shows—popular for their pot-stirring entanglements—provide a rare geopolitical lens into family, gender, and (of course) love. FP’s roundup on the global state of romance is a must read on Valentine’s Day. foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/14/r...
foreignpolicy.com
Around the World, Love Gets a Reality Check
Foreign Policy’s guide to the global state of (televised) romance.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Looking for love? You’re not alone. Foreign Policy looked at the world’s biggest international reality dating shows—and what they say about the global state of romance. foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/14/r...
foreignpolicy.com
Around the World, Love Gets a Reality Check
Foreign Policy’s guide to the global state of (televised) romance.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
As Trump decides where to take China policy next—from Taiwan to AI, I took a step back and looked at whether the Biden administration’s strategy to outcompete China succeeded, and at what cost. Here's my deep dive: foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/06/b...
foreignpolicy.com
Did Biden Get China Right?
The administration aimed to outcompete China. Four years later, here’s how it measured up.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
DeepSeek has supercharged Trump’s AI ambitions—and underscored the deep uncertainty over just how much energy will be necessary to power that push. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/05/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Can Trump Power an AI Boom?
DeepSeek has exposed just how uncertain future AI energy demand is.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
@christinalu.bsky.social and I recently wrote about how the bank became a key tool in US competition with China under Biden: foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/16/d...
foreignpolicy.com
Is the U.S. Answer to China’s Belt and Road Working?
The International Development Finance Corporation has put the United States more on the map, but China remains king of global infrastructure.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Trump has big plans for the DFC: "Plans discussed for the US International Development Finance Corp. include how it could use investments to deliver on Trump’s ambitions for greater US influence over Greenland and Panama." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Trump Team Has Wealth-Fund Ambitions For Small Lending Agency
Donald Trump pledged to create “the greatest sovereign wealth fund of them all.” His advisers think one way to do it is a government agency they bet can help mobilize hundreds of billions from Wall St...
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
What does Trump really want with Greenland? Wrote about the latest drama for @foreignpolicy.com [gift link] foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/09/t...
foreignpolicy.com
Why Is Trump So Obsessed With Greenland?
The Arctic territory has long captured the attention of U.S. leaders.
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Alexandra Sharp @alexandrassharp.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
From unprecedented tariffs to peace talk negotiations, Trump 2.0 will likely be another black swan presidency—and vastly different from his first term. foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/03/t...
foreignpolicy.com
The Biggest Foreign-Policy Challenges Facing Trump in 2025
The U.S. president-elect’s second term will begin in a vastly different global landscape than his first.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
The FP news squad's first big team effort of 2025 -- on the global challenges Trump will face on Day 1: w/ @amymackinnon.bsky.social @iyengarish.bsky.social @christinalu.bsky.social @jchaltiwanger.bsky.social @alexandrassharp.bsky.social @kfj-fp.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/03/t...
foreignpolicy.com
The Biggest Foreign-Policy Challenges Facing Trump in 2025
The U.S. president-elect’s second term will begin in a vastly different global landscape than his first.
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Christina Lu @christinalu.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
The Eras Tour has laid bare just how powerful the popstar’s gravitational pull is. My latest for @foreignpolicy.com [gift link] foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/23/t...
foreignpolicy.com
How Taylor Swift Inc. Took Over the World
The Eras Tour has laid bare just how powerful the popstar’s gravitational pull is.
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Lili Pike @lilipike.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
When Congress created a new development bank, it aimed to "provide countries a robust alternative to state-directed investments by authoritarian governments and US strategic competitors" [read: China] 5 years later, @christinalu.bsky.social & I take stock of DFC: foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/16/d...
foreignpolicy.com
Is the U.S. Answer to China’s Belt and Road Working?
The International Development Finance Corporation has put the United States more on the map, but China remains king of global infrastructure.
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