Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, explained to the Saudi Al Sharq news service that comments by the U.S. military and government officials indicating possible dates for the outbreak of hostilities between the US and China are not predictions. Rather, they are designed to strengthen the ability of the U.S. military to respond to Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, particularly concerning Taiwan. Watch the segment.
Larus Comments on Possibility of China-U.S. War on Saudi News
Larus Comments on U.S. Defense Secretary’s Trip to Iraq
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus spoke to WION News for a segment titled “U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin makes unannounced visit to Iraq.” Larus indicated that the purpose of Secretary of Defense Austin’s trip to Iraq and other Middle East states is three-fold: reaffirm U.S. commitment to Iraq, contain Iran’s influence, and discuss how to address Russian-Iran military cooperation. Watch the segment.
Larus Lectures in Taiwan on U.S.-China Relations
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, offered the guest lectures【2023年中美關係路徑】(The path of US-China relations in 2023) to undergraduate students at Taiwan’s Tamkang University in Tanshui on February 23 and 【中美關係中近期的關鍵問題】(Recent critical issues in US-China relations) to graduate students at National Cheng-chih University in Mucha, Taiwan on February 24. In both lectures, Professor Larus indicated that China’s failure to allow an international investigation into the origins of Covid, repression in Xinjiang and nullification of the ‘one country, two systems’ formula in Hong Kong contributed to US government and public suspicion of China well before the recent balloon controversy. Larus claimed that there is little to foster US-China cooperation in 2023.
Larus Comments on Chinese Balloons Over the U.S.
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, commented to WION news that China is using every tool in its kit to survey the US, including balloons. The U.S. needs to retrieve the remains of the balloons it shoots down, and show the world the goods. Access her commentary.
Other recent media mentions for Larus include:
Larus, a former Fulbright Scholar to Poland, commented to WION news that Biden’s trip to Poland is intended to signal resolve and unity but also to counter resistance to House Republicans who don’t want to continue to spend massive amounts of money on the war in Ukraine. WION news, Feb 10, 2023. Access her comments.
Larus Comments on Trump’s Return to Twitter and Facebook
In the segment, “After Twitter, Will Facebook Reinstate Donald Trump’s Account?” WION News, January 19, 2023, Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, indicated that Trump’s Twitter and Facebook accounts were important fundraising tools during the 2016 presidential campaign against Hilary Clinton and would be equally important for his 2024 bid. She also indicated that Trump could face security fraud charges if he were to abandon or slight his own social media platform, Truth Social, for Twitter. Access the interview.
Larus Offers Presentation on Taiwan Foreign Policy to Pacific Forum
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, on Dec. 6, 2022, offered a presentation on Taiwan’s foreign policy to the Pacific Forum, a foreign policy research institute based in Hawaii. Professor Larus analyzed Taiwan’s foreign policy making since the island became a democracy in the year 2000, indicating that Realist Theory does not explain why Taiwan’s diplomatic allies chose the island over relations with mainland China. She claimed that China’s lack of transparency on the origins of COVID-19 was a gift to Taiwan, but that factions among the two dominant political parties in Taiwan unnecessarily complicate foreign policy making.
- She offered commentary to the Financial Times on U.S. restrictions on travelers from China. Professor Larus stated that the measures highlighted a “lack of trust” in Xi’s administration. “U.S. officials believe that the Chinese government has been less than forthcoming about the origins of Covid-19 and less than truthful about the number of positive Covid cases in China … The Chinese government allowed millions of tourists to travel domestically and abroad for lunar new year in 2020 knowing that there was a new coronavirus infecting the population. When the mortality and infection rate became evident . . . it was already out of control in the U.S. Washington is not going to make the same mistake twice.” Read the article.
- She spoke to WION for a segment titled “George Santos rejects calls to resign, refuses to step down.” In the clip, Larus says, “He is a Republican seat in the House of Representatives that the Republicans need very much now. The Republicans have only about a ten-seat majority and so they really don’t want to lose that seat,” said Elizabeth Larus. Watch the segment.
Larus Addresses Chinese Leader’s Death With Al Jazeera
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus spoke to Al Jazeera for a segment titled “Memorial for China’s Former Leader.” On the broadest, Larus said: “Jiang Zemin is credited with sustaining China’s economic boom after Deng Xiaoping started reform and opening. So throughout the 1990s, the Chinese economy grew about eight percent on average.” Watch the segment.
Larus also spoke recently with the podcast Dispatches From the War Room for a piece titled “Life after the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.” A Fulbright Scholar, Taiwan Fellow, and founder and president of E Larus Consulting LLC, she specializes in East Asian political, economic and security dynamics, drawing on more than 30 years of experience with the Asia-Pacific. “Right now it’s about COVID,” she said on the segment. “It’s also all about the just concluded 20th Party Congress.” Listen to the podcast.
Memorial for China’s Former Leader (Al Jazeera)
Larus Offers Insight on a China+1 Business Strategy
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, claimed in a WION India documentary that Vietnam, the Philippines and India are in a strong position to benefit from a China+1 diversification strategy, and that India’s future as an alternative to China lies in being a hub for next generation technologies. This and more throughout the program.
Larus Provides Commentary to Asian News Outlets on U.S. Midterm Elections
In her pre-election analysis, Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, indicated that a lot of Americans are upset about inflation, crime, immigration and the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. As a result, everyone had something compelling them to come out and vote in the U.S. Midterm elections.
In Focus Taiwan, Larus projected that the China-Taiwan trilateral relationship will continue to deteriorate after the U.S. Midterm Elections, and that China’s Wolf Warrior diplomacy will continue as diplomats prove their loyalty to Xi Jinping following the CCP’s 20th Party Congress. She also indicated that the Ukraine and Taiwan situations are different and that triangular relations between the U.S., China, and Taiwan will continue to deteriorate regardless of the midterm results. While the U.S. is engaged in offering military assistance to Ukraine, so far U.S. support for Taiwan has been limited to legislation, Congressional visits, and arms sales. Read more.
Larus’ commentary on the subject was also featured on WION India, where she indicated the angst was compelling voters on both sides of the political spectrum to come out and vote in large numbers. Watch now.