America's Wolf Warriors Are Getting It All Wrong in Asia
Every strategist knows that wars are not just won by force. Soft power matters, which is why the Trump administration's latest move to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students will resonate so badly across Asia.
America and China are already locked in a battle for influence — but Washington risks sabotaging those goals. Even before the Harvard controversy emerged Thursday, the US embassy in Singapore posted a video on social media this week likening China's sweeping South China Sea territorial claims to disputes over shared spaces in Singapore's public housing blocks. It did more than just raise eyebrows.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Kilmar Abrego Garcia Back In U.S For Prosecution—After White House Said He'd Never Return
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom the Trump administration mistakenly deported to El Salvador—but has insisted he would not return to the U.S.—has been returned to U.S. custody after the Trump administration indicted him on charges of transporting undocumented immigrants after repeatedly claiming without evidence that he belonged to gang MS-13. A member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus holds a picture of Kilmar Abrego Garcia during a news ... More conference on April 9 in Washington, DC. Abrego Garcia is on his way back to the U.S., ABC News first reported at 3 p.m. EDT Friday citing anonymous sources, after a federal grand jury indicted him on criminal charges. He has been indicted based on allegations that he participated in a years-long scheme to transport undocumented migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to interior parts of the U.S., according to a court filing made public on Friday, which allegedly included transporting members of MS-13. His return comes after the Trump administration had repeatedly insisted it could not bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S.—despite an order from the Supreme Court to 'facilitate' his return—claiming the immigrant was out of the government's jurisdiction now that he was in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March despite a 2019 court ruling prohibiting the government from deporting him there due to fears of persecution, and the Trump administration admitted in court filings that the man's deportation was an 'administrative error.' The government has dug its heels in on Abrego Garcia's deportation despite its mistaken nature and the national outcry that erupted over the Trump administration's failure to bring him back, as Trump officials have painted the immigrant as a 'criminal' and gang member whose deportation was warranted. Attorney General Pam Bondi is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday afternoon, though it remains unclear whether it will focus on Abrego Garcia and the reported charges against him. Abrego Garcia is a father of three who lived with his wife and children in Maryland before being deported in March. He first entered the U.S. illegally at age 16 in 2012, and had resided in the country since, going on to marry a U.S. citizen. In 2019, Abrego Garcia was arrested in the parking lot of a Home Depot on allegations that he and other people were 'loitering,' and law enforcement accused him of being a member of MS-13, citing the fact he was wearing Chicago Bulls clothing. Abrego Garcia and his family have denied that he has any associations with the gang, and experts cited by the BBC have cast doubt on the Trump administration's evidence tying him to MS-13. He was not charged at the time with any crimes. A judge granted Abrego Garcia 'withholding of removal' in 2019, which gave him temporary protections from deportation and work authorization in the U.S., and prohibited the government from deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador specifically, given the possibility he could face gang violence if he returned. Abrego Garcia was then pulled over by immigration enforcement officials on March 12 and subsequently detained and sent to El Salvador, prompting a legal battle over his removal that had not yet been resolved as of his reported return to the U.S. This story is breaking and will be updated.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Alleged Iran Money Laundering Network Hit With US Sanctions
The US imposed sanctions on a network of individuals and companies it accuses of laundering billions of dollars from illegal activities for the Iranian government, as the Trump administration continues its 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran. The Treasury Department said the penalties target more than 30 individuals, as well as 16 companies based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Abrego Garcia Is Being Returned to U.S. From El Salvador
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man at the center of a legal and political maelstrom after being mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is expected to return to the United States to face charges related to transporting undocumented migrants in the country, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Tennessee late Friday. The stunning move, which had quietly been planned for several weeks, could provide a much-needed offramp for the Trump administration, which has bitterly opposed a series of court orders to take steps to release him following his wrongful removal on March 15. The 10-page indictment also represents a potential effort to save face: Bringing Mr. Abrego Garcia back to face criminal charges — rather than complying with the dictates of three federal courts, including the Supreme Court — allows the White House to avoid an increasingly difficult legal confrontation, while enabling the administration to press its claim that he is a dangerous criminal who was worthy of removal in the first place. Since the start of the case, administration officials have sought to depict Mr. Abrego Garcia, a metal worker who has lived illegally in the United States without incident for years, as a member of the violent street gang MS-13. The charges filed against him in Federal District Court in Nashville accused him of belonging to the gang and taking part in a conspiracy to 'transport thousands of undocumented aliens' across the United States. His lawyers said they welcomed their day in court and pointed out that the government's decision to return him to the United States undercut its longstanding efforts to keep him in El Salvador. 'Today's action proves what we've known all along — that the administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so,' said Andrew Rossman, a lawyer for Mr. Abrego Garcia. 'It's now up to our judicial system to see that Mr. Abrego Garcia receives the due process that the constitution guarantees to all persons.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
