Richard Fontaine

That requires working with each of these countries, not only in ways that we haven't before,

but ways, frankly, that are quite different than we have now when we have a range of relationships with each of them, including some that are quite adversarial.

So there's a lot of work to do.

I mean, we should be working with all six on issues like military basing to keep military bases for our adversaries out and potentially keep military bases for our allies and digital infrastructure, which is a new kind of realm with data centers and A.I.

and all of the things that are going to be economically and potentially politically viable there.

on trade arrangements.

I mean, we've been going, I think, backwards because we have imposed tariffs on the entire world simultaneously rather than take the opportunities that present themselves for new trade agreements and relationships with some of these countries, the future of international institutions.

I mean, you can take a look around at almost any international institution right now, and it was formed many years ago for a world that is very different than it is now.

And so working with these countries about what the future of the array of international institutions

should look like as opposed to what it has looked like is yet another opportunity.

So those are some of the things that would be relatively new in our approach to these countries, but I think it's vital to do.

Thank you for having me.

It's been a real pleasure here.

Thank you.

On the other hand, if things are going well militarily, and maybe it looks like there's some cracks here and there in the security forces or, you know, uprisings, he could keep this going potentially indefinitely so as to play this out.