How China could try to strangle Taiwan without firing a shot
The Taiwan invasion everyone fears might never happen. Here’s what could take place instead.

But the way we think about how China would overrun Taiwan may well be wrong. Rather than an all-out invasion, it could attempt to capture the island without firing a single shot through “gray zone” tactics. Such tactics might combine maritime blockades and advanced cyberwarfare capable of cutting off Taiwan from the lines of seaborne trade and the digital access it needs to survive. And Beijing could do so in a way that might be just far enough below the threshold of conflict that would drive Washington and its allies to come to Taiwan’s aid.

My family voted for Trump. How can we talk about politics without ruining the holidays?
You don’t have to shy away from argument and persuasion. Here’s how to do it right.
Sigal Samuel

So, when we’re trying to communicate with people across the political aisle, it’s best not to assume that they’re morally bankrupt — or “completely fine with dramatically increasing human suffering.” Maybe they’re operating on the basis of moral values, just as we are, but the values that are salient for them are not the ones that are most salient for us.

Haidt’s research suggests that we should enter into these conversations with genuine curiosity — what are the moral values behind the opposing political views? — and a recognition that others’ values have worth, too. You may not be a conservative, but I imagine you still feel that there’s some value to loyalty, say, or sanctity. It’s helpful to get in touch with that, because people are much more receptive when they sense that you’re trying to find shared moral ground than when you’re just trying to win an argument.

Are men okay? Our modern masculinity problem, explained.
Why is it so hard to talk about masculinity?
by Sean Illing

Among the many headwinds in this conversation is the reality that men are not the only ones struggling and we’re all accustomed to seeing men in positions of power and privilege, so there isn’t a ton of sympathy out there. But something is clearly happening and there are good reasons why we should all care about it. As Galloway puts it, “the most dangerous person in the world is a man that is broken and alone,” and society appears to be producing far too many of them.
I invited Galloway on The Gray Area to talk about the state of men and where the discourse has gone sideways.

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