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Future of Conservative Foreign Policy With Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI)

The Vandenberg Coalition was pleased to host Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) for an on-the-record discussion about his views on the Future of Conservative Foreign Policy. How pervasive is the Chinese Communist Party's presence in the United States? How does China pose both an international and a homeland security threat to America, and what is at stake if we fail to confront it? How can we best marshal the resources of the federal, state, and local governments—working together and with the private sector—to strengthen American resilience against China? As the current Chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Representative Moolenaar addressed these questions and more.

You can watch this discussion as a video on YouTube, and find the rest of the Future of Conservative Foreign Policy series on our website.

Vandenberg Flash Focus

Time to Go, Maduro

The United States has continued to pressure the Maduro regime with F-18 flyovers, the seizure of oil tankers, and new sanctions on Venezuelan entities associated with the Maduro regime, alongside continued strikes on drug boats. Simultaneously, the Venezuelan opposition has continued gaining momentum. Notably, Maria Carina Machado, the head of the Venezuelan opposition, had a miraculous exit from Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James Story joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss these recent updates, what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like, and more.

Featured

America’s November Crash Course In Chinese Hybrid Warfare

TVC Governance Advisory Board Member Jacqueline Deal & Michael Lucci | The Daily Caller | December 13, 2025

Bottom Line: China is engaged in extensive hybrid warfare within the U.S. to subvert our institutions and prepare military strikes. The Chinese Communist Party presents a whole-of-society threat that requires a comprehensive response from all levels of the American government and civil society. A failure to act will cede sovereignty over the land of the free to the producer and exporter of global tyranny.

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Course-Correcting the Russia-Ukraine Negotiations

TVC Advisory Board Member Peter Rough & Can Kasapoğlu | Hudson Institute | December 10, 2025

Bottom Line: As negotiations unfold, U.S. and European leaders should put forward an honest and forthright assessment of what they can and cannot provide Ukraine in its fight for survival, from economic aid and military assistance to harsher sanctions and export controls. Forging such a common understanding upfront is the key to gaining a true picture of what is possible on the battlefield and to avoiding transatlantic divisions that Russia will seek to exploit.

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America First? Not When Trump Is Dealing With China

TVC Advisory Board Member Zack Cooper & Derek Scissors | The Washington Post | December 16, 2025

Bottom Line: President Donald Trump’s second-term China policy started out aggressive, but has gone completely in reverse. He has been remarkably generous toward the United States’ most prominent adversary. Since April, Trump has repeatedly given ground to the People’s Republic. He did it again last week by agreeing to allow export of the advanced H200 chip to Chinese customers. By permitting H200 exports, the president effectively gave in to Beijing on another vital issue.

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Yes, Revive the Monroe Doctrine

Rich Lowry | National Review | December 9, 2025

Bottom Line: The Trump Corollary aims to assert U.S. preeminence in the Western Hemisphere and keep non-hemispheric actors from creating threats or controlling strategically vital assets here. It is, in the words of the strategy, “a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.” We should, by all means, breathe new life into a Monroe Doctrine that in recent decades has become a museum curiosity.

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