On Foreign Entanglements, Rob speaks with Taylor about the current state of Chinese politics. Taylor explains the scandalous Bo Xilai affair, and Rob wonders whether there’s a crisis of civil-military relations in China. Taylor lays out the situation in the South China Sea and discusses China’s “salami slicing” strategy. Rob and Taylor analyze the potentially destabilizing effects of AirSea Battle. Is it crazy for the US to prepare for the possibility of war with China? They conclude with a conversation about how the Chinese view the US election.
On Foreign Entanglements, Matt talks with Aziz about how Romney’s “culture” comments were received among Palestinians (hint: not well). Matt outlines the problem with introducing “providence” into political discussions. Would President Romney really recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and would that mean the end of the two-state solution? Matt thinks that Romney inadvertently kicked off a rare good conversation about Israel-Palestine in DC. Aziz argues that Mahmoud Abbas is right to not negotiate with Netanyahu. Finally, if the two-state solution is dead, what happens next?
On a special sleep-deprived edition of The DMZ, Bill and Matt share their parenting strategies, and consider whether liberals and conservatives parent differently. Was Romney’s foreign trip a disaster, or merely a missed opportunity? Matt thinks Romney’s press team could learn something from Patrick Swayze’s character in Road House. Is Obama smart to feature Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Warren at the Democratic convention? Plus: Jonah Lehrer—when do plagiarists get a second chance?