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🇺🇸 Summer Camp 2023

🇺🇸 Summer Camp 2023

Plus, my dog ate my...passport.

August 22, 2023

Good morning, and happy Tuesday. After a lifetime of writing back and forth to one another, these pen pals have finally met! Just how long did it take?

Plus, this dog had terrible timing (and taste), and she nearly ruined her human’s destination wedding.

Also, how can you be happy unless your pet is happy? Here’s one surefire way to have a wag-worthy day…

QUICK CLICKS

Hillary Moves North, Shutdown Fears Grow, Ecuador Goes to a Run-off

US: Donald Trump’s bond is set at $200,000 in Georgia case over efforts to overturn 2020 election (AP)

US: Storm Hilary moves north after drenching Southern California, Southwest (Reuters)

US: Freedom Caucus pours gasoline on Congress' heated spending fight as government shutdown fears grow (FOX News)

US: Federal judge pauses Georgia law banning hormone therapy for transgender minors (The Hill)

World: Ecuador election heads to run-off vote, with González to face surprise second-place Noboa (CNN)

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Summer Camp 2023

Last Friday, President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David. The trilateral summit “reaffirmed that cooperation between the United States, Japan, and the ROK advances the security and prosperity of our people, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world.”

Reporting from the Right: Biden welcomes foreign leaders and press to Camp David for first time in nearly a decade (Washington Examiner)

Reporting from the Left: U.S, Japan and South Korea pledge close cooperation at historic summit (Axios)

From The Flag: According to a White House press release, the new partnership affirms a commitment between the three countries to coordinate responses to “regional challenges, provocations, and threats,” “activate a data-sharing mechanism to exchange real-time missile warning data,” “discuss ways to coordinate efforts to counter disinformation,” and more. Many have viewed the summit as a preemptive measure against China’s growing power, though Biden has stated this isn’t the case. Here’s what both sides are saying.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Major Breakthrough for Biden

The Biden Administration hasn’t had the most consistent China strategy, but it has been right to strengthen its alliances to curb the China Communist Party’s strength.
Mounting military tension from China has created the necessity for Japan and South Korea to set aside historical enmities to serve as a substantial counter against China.
Despite this summit appearing to be about China to everyone covering it, Biden insists that isn’t the case.

The Japan–South Korea Alliance Is a Breakthrough for Biden The Editors, National Review: “On Friday, President Biden achieved a foreign-policy breakthrough with potentially massive implications for China’s designs across its neighborhood. …Japan and South Korea, both U.S.-backed democracies in a dangerous neighborhood, should be natural allies, they have had a strained relationship owing to long-standing historical controversies related to Japan’s decades-long occupation of Korea. That history has stood in the way of building a united front of America’s allies in the region capable of countering Beijing. But Biden’s attention to this dynamic and the political courage of both Yoon and Kishida might have just ushered in a new relationship between the countries. This administration’s China strategy is often contradictory, or anemic, as we’ve written many times before. But if there’s one major thing that it has gotten right, it’s the need to create a latticework of alliances that protect the status quo from the Chinese Communist Party’s dangerous revanchism.”

Expert warns Biden's Camp David summit is one of 'very few plans left' over China threat Kristen Altus, FOX Business: “With President Biden hosting his first international meeting at Camp David, one global policy expert warned that the summit is one of Biden’s last options to address the Chinese threat. ‘We have very few plans left that even do this in the United States, [it’s] probably the right move,’ Atlas Organization founder Jonathan D.T. Ward… ‘So, [I'm] glad to see that that's still a policy instrument.’ The Biden administration claimed Thursday that the meeting with Japan’s prime minister and South Korea’s president at Camp David represents a ‘turning point’ in Indo-Pacific relations. Fox News has reported that rising military tensions from China and North Korea have now brought Japan and South Korea – two former enemies – together. ‘It's not just about containment of China,’ Ward reacted. ‘It's also about building our relations with our allies and ensuring that the structure of the U.S. system remains intact despite the challenge from Moscow and Beijing.’”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Biden Hosts First Camp David Summit, Insists It’s ‘Not About China’ Diana Glebova, Daily Caller

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Big Deal for Biden. China Put on Notice.

This was an opportunity to solidify the alliance and relationship between Japan and South Korea, moving forward from their enmities.
The significance of this moment can’t be understated as this trilateral alliance will allow us to cope with the threats of North Korea, China, and Russia.
This is the first time an American President has brought these two countries into the same room where they are the only participants.

One Summit, Three Allies and a Very Important Message for China Daniel Russel, The New York Times: “A more united front of Japan, South Korea and the United States is much more than simply a military force multiplier. It is a geopolitical necessity at a time when countries like China and Russia are contributing to the rise of illiberalism, economic coercion and assaults on important global norms. The collective power of three of the world’s most important democracies, economies and technology leaders can serve as a bulwark for the rules-based international order — if they can maintain unity. … Reluctance to share real-time digital radar data about North Korean missile launches directly between defense systems in South Korea and Japan has required the U.S. military to employ cumbersome workarounds that could slow critical reaction time in the event of an attack. … The Biden administration has so far adroitly supported the steady improvement in relations between South Korea and Japan. Mr. Biden must lock in this progress at Camp David.”

Camp David summit with Japan and South Korea is a major Biden achievement Max Boot and Sue Mi Terry, The Washington Post: “It is hard to exaggerate the significance of Friday’s summit at Camp David among President Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This represents another major step toward the establishment of a new trilateral alliance that could help all three nations cope with the growing threats from North Korea and China in a world destabilized by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Such a summit would have been unthinkable only two years ago. The primary acclaim must go to the courageous leader of South Korea and the pragmatic leader of Japan for moving beyond historical grievances. But the Biden administration also deserves considerable credit for enabling this rapprochement. The summit with Yoon and Kishida is yet another impressive achievement, considering how hard it was in the past to even get the leaders of South Korea and Japan in the same room.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Why Biden’s Summit With Japan and South Korea Is a Big Deal Fred Kaplan, Slate

FLAG THIS

China Seen as a Threat

Negative views of China have become more common in the United States in recent years, and a Pew Research Center survey from the end of July shows that Americans also widely see China as the greatest threat facing their nation.

In an open-ended question allowing Americans to name which country they see as the greatest threat to the US, 50% name China – almost three times the 17% who name Russia (Pew Research Center).

Do you believe a stronger alliance between Japan and South Korea will serve as a counterbalance against China?

FLAG FINDS

Wagging Tail, Plug Out, Big Fish

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WATERCOOLER

Redcoats Arrive, Ideal Sleep Position, Butt Robot

On This Day in 1776: The British arrive at Long Island, between Gravesend and New Utrecht, with “near twenty four thousand men ready to land in a moment,” according to one observer. General William Howe’s large army came to Long Island hoping to capture New York City and gain control of the Hudson River, a victory that would divide the rebellious colonies in half.

BBC: Which is the best position to sleep in?

Nautilus: What Separates Highly Creative People

HBR: Stop Being So Hard on Yourself

Today I learned Samsung created a butt-shaped robot that sits on their phones to test their durability. The denim clad robot exerts 220 pounds of pressure on their phones during testing.

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