Michael McFaul

A new era of great power competition has begun. I explore what America must do next in my book Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. www.amazon.com/dp/0358677874

Communist regimes: Own companies Control their central banks Use tariffs to insulate their economies Use armies, false charges, home raids & arrests to intimidate the opposition Idolize their leaders with posters & praise Sound familiar?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I3x...

Why?

The Venezuelans I know want American investment in their country—they just want these deals to be made with a legitimate government that represents the will of the Venezuelan people, not an illegitimate regime trying to stay in power by striking billion-dollar deals with Trump.

If Trump wanted to impose more sanctions on Russia, he could do so right now without new legislation. But he doesn’t want to.

Check out my conversation with @thewirechina.bsky.social on China, Russia, and the global competition between autocrats and democrats: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/my-intervi...

The "Trump is just being Trump" excuse for his insulting, juvenile posts over the weekend no longer works. Stop it. Denounce it. At least, dont defend it. The Trump era is winding down. Dont be the last one to jump off that sinking ship.

In response to Trump's various "presidential statements" over the weekend about Canada, re-upping: The Free World Is Done With Trump the Bully michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/the-free-w...

After Trump, the next U.S. president needs to put more effort into preventing wars, not starting them.

An extract from my book, Autocrats vs. Democrats. "What Donald Trump’s Isolationism Means For America—and the World" lithub.com/what-donald-...

Thank you, Alex Witt. Honored to have worked with you for so many years!

From the archive: Questions That Need Answering before Trump Bombs Iran War should always be the last resort, only after all other strategies for achieving U.S. national interests have been exhausted. - June 2025 michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/questions-...

I wrote this in June 2025, just days before the U.S. bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran (and “completely and totally obliterated” its nuclear program). Worth revisiting now. michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/questions-...