AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
AEI This Week
AEI's weekly digest of top commentary and scholarship on the issues that matter most
A LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY
Overreach in Minnesota
January 31, 2026
Aggressive immigration enforcement in Minneapolis produced another tragedy this week when border patrol agents shot Alex Pretti. National Review editor in chief and longtime conservative voice Ramesh Ponnuru condemns ([link removed] ) the moral and political failures of the administration’s initial response, while AEI President Robert Doar urges ([link removed] ) all involved to learn from the more responsible practices of both federal lawyers and protestors of the civil rights era.
AP26027467954192 ([link removed] )
President Trump spent much of January fixated on acquiring Greenland through diplomatic, economic, and military threats against Europe before walking back his demands. AEI Europe expert Dalibor Rohac assesses ([link removed] ) the damage this episode has done to transatlantic relations.
This apparent breakup with Europe has opened the door for China’s global ambitions. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Audrye Wong explains ([link removed] ) how China is successfully seizing the opportunity to integrate countries alienated by American policies into its own economic orbit.
The expansion of China’s economic reach only heightens the vulnerability of US tech supply chains to coercion or disruption. Writing in The Washington Post, Chris Miller highlights ([link removed] ) the threat to America’s quantum computing development if policymakers do not address supply-chain risks.
One of the administration’s most significant policy successes in 2025 was reforming federal student lending. Preston Cooper surveys ([link removed] ) the progress the administration has made in moving beyond Biden’s failed student loan forgiveness approach.
Steady, Not Soaring, Chinese Investment in 2025
AEI’s China Global Investment Tracker is the most complete public record of China’s investment and construction globally—including more than 4,900 transactions from 2005 through 2025. In a new AEI report, Derek Scissors, who maintains the database, analyzes ([link removed] ) trends for 2025. Relying on corporate disclosures, Scissors finds that China’s global investment held steady in 2025 after initial uncertainty over tariffs at the start of the year. Brazil was the leading recipient of investment, Saudia Arabia had the most construction activity, and investment in the United States remained minor. However, the US remains vulnerable to China in its supply chains and through technology loss—which the Trump administration did little to stem in 2025.
More from AEI
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
How to Keep Our Republic ([link removed] )
Robert P. George | National Review
Beneficiary Incentives Are Needed to Improve Accountable Care Organization Performance ([link removed] )
James C. Capretta | AEIdeas
The Prose Stylist ([link removed] )
Andrew Ferguson | Commentary
How to Prevent a Repeat of Massive Fraud and Abuse ([link removed] )
Matt Weidinger | RealClearPolicy
Washington Is Betting on AI. Economics Urges Patience. ([link removed] )
James Pethokoukis | AEIdeas
PODCASTS AND VIDEOS
"Push Back the Keyboard and Go for a Walk" ([link removed] )
Jonah Goldberg | The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
Radicalism, Instability, and a Dysfunctional Senate ([link removed] )
Jay Cost and Sean Trende | Stubborn Things
Randi Weingarten on the Teaching Profession ([link removed] )
Nat Malkus and Randi Weingarten | The Report Card with Nat Malkus
Why Can’t Putin Afford to Fail in Ukraine? Michael Tory Explains How He Will. ([link removed] )
Danielle Pletka et al. | What the Hell Is Going On?
The American Dream Lecture Series: Richard Brookhiser, “What I’ve Learned from America’s Founders” ([link removed] )
Jay Cost and Christopher J. Scalia | AEI event
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
A free and prosperous United States depends on secure sea lanes and a Navy capable of protecting them against emboldened adversaries. The National Commission on the Future of the Navy can help chart the course. Congress must decide how far and how fast to sail it.
—Mackenzie Eaglen ([link removed] )
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