Issue 1 - The Ledger

Outcompeting China through Integrated Economic Statecraft—Start in Africa

By Marcus Snow | DISPATCH

The United States faces a global strategic challenge: how to counter China's expanding influence, advance US national interests, and support sovereign development in key regions. To compete and win, the U.S. needs an Integrated Economic Statecraft Strategy—a globally coordinated effort to align diplomacy, information-sharing, security cooperation, and economic tools under a unified framework.

RUBBER DUCKY for fun, profit, and strengthening the US defense industrial base capacity

By Michael McAnally | DISPATCH

The nation's security hinges on a robust and adaptable Defense Industrial Base, but optimization for efficiency has led to vulnerabilities. This paper proposes RUBBER DUCKY, a framework for discreetly increasing defense industrial production capacity by leveraging civilian manufacturing capabilities—from rubber ducks to missile components.

When Corporate Balance Sheets Lie: The China Risk

By Will Kirkman | DISPATCH

American investors face a significant blind spot: substantial corporate assets and revenue streams located in China, with limited ability to repatriate funds during a crisis. Hidden within financial statements lies a vulnerability that neither regulators nor markets adequately address, particularly as geopolitical tensions increase.

The Counter-BRI Framework: Rethinking Economic Statecraft and Investment Competition

By Melisa Altintas, Ashton Basak, Zubin Battaglia, Maya Belorusskiy, Kristina Georgieva, Rohan Jois, and Luke Madden | INSIGHT

When President Xi launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the United States was ill-prepared to respond—and still isn't meeting competitive expectations. This framework shows how the Second Trump Administration can sustain America First objectives while countering the BRI with strong economic statecraft abroad.

Anchoring the Arctic: Economic Statecraft for the Northwest Passage

By Ben Kallas | INSIGHT

As climate change opens new Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage presents both opportunity and challenge for U.S. economic statecraft. This analysis examines how America can secure strategic interests in a rapidly changing Arctic while competing with Chinese and Russian influence.

Degrees of Power: How Education Became the Frontline of Global Influence

By Dr. Craig Buying | DISPATCH

Education is a cornerstone of national power that projects influence and legitimacy beyond borders. Now a new frontline in global soft-power competition, education is shaping ideologies that determine the rise and fall of nations. The state that educates the world will define it.

Fraud as Statecraft: How Deception Became a Tool of International Competition

By James Tennant | INSIGHT

State-sponsored scam operations represent an intentional vector of financial warfare—cheap, deniable, and devastating in cumulative impact. If Indo-Pacific countries are to blunt the impact of weaponized fraud, they must abandon the fiction that scams are primarily consumer protection concerns.