Topic: Rules Based Order

In a private investor dinner, General Mark Milley discussed the cyclical nature of history and the current threats to the post-WWII "rules-based order." Milley noted that China, Russia, and Iran have incentives to overthrow this order, with China aiming to be ready for a Taiwan invasion by 2027. He also commented on the Israel-Gaza conflict, stating that Israel has destroyed about two-thirds of Hamas but lacks a clear political message for the future.

President Joe Biden's performance at the ASEAN summit in Cambodia is scrutinized after he mistakenly referred to the host country as Colombia. The hosts also highlight his repetitive use of the phrase "rule-based order" and his apparent difficulty staying awake during presentations.

A professor on Chinese state media (CGTV) criticizes the Western concept of a "rules-based order," arguing it is a tool for U.S. hegemony rather than international law. The segment describes the use of economic sanctions as "international gangsterism" aimed at crushing non-compliant nations.

President Biden invoked the history of the Solidarity movement and Pope John Paul II during his address in Poland. He emphasized a "rules-based order" in opposition to "brute force," though critics point to domestic lockdowns and the freezing of assets as contradictions to these stated democratic principles.

The Biden administration frames the Ukraine crisis as a test of the "rules-based international order" established in 1945. The hosts critique this framing, pointing out past NATO interventions in Libya and Serbia that bypassed traditional sovereignty rules.