China Archives - The Hayek Council

10Apr 2026 by The Hayek Council

SPOTLIGHT: NATO Blinked – Europe’s Hesitation on Iran Undermines Western Deterrence

Synopsis In this op-ed, former US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, argues that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and key European allies “blinked” in the wake of US and Israeli strikes against the Iranian dictatorship, revealing a dangerous reluctance to stand firmly with Washington DC and Jerusalem. Sondland contends that true defence in 2026 cannot mean passively waiting for the next attack - it requires decisive action, unity, and credible Western deterrence against a regime that has waged a 47-year campaign of hostility, including proxy attacks and threats to Israel and international shipping. Sondland defends President Donald Trump’s frustration with NATO, pointing to chronic burden-sharing imbalances, European legal hand-wringing, and a tendency to create political distance rather than offer immediate operational or political support. He warns that…

10Apr 2026 by Nicholas Woode-Smith

The New Axis: China

Opinion

Excerpt China uses access to its market and its control over manufacturing to punish countries and force itself into positions where it can dictate the policies of other nations. Australia’s wine industry was decimated after its government called for investigations into the source of COVID-19, and Beijing retaliated effectively with sanctions on Australian wine. The list goes on and on and is almost impossible to exhaust. Couple these actions with the fact that China is the fastest growing nuclear power, and its never-ending imperial ambitions. China has also proven far more adept than even Russia at information warfare – utilising its control over TikTok to control algorithms and push users into believing pro-Beijing narratives, while censoring or quashing the reach of anything critical of China. China has never given up…

Tag: China