Principal at The Marathon Initiative. Former DoD, White House, State, U.S. Senate; and CNAS, CFR, RAND.
Joined November 2013
- Tweets 233
- Following 920
- Followers 18,169
- Likes 125
14 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
27 May 2025
🧵 In the forthcoming issue of @ForeignAffairs, I argue that the time has come to build a collective defense alliance in Asia—the Pacific Defense Pact—initially comprising Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States.
6
21
67
13,068
Ely Ratner retweeted
“China’s success in cornering the Trump administration was not simply a result of the United States’ failure to secure its supply chains,” write @elyratner and Nick Danby. “It reflected a profound failure of U.S. strategy.”
foreignaffairs.com/china/fau…
3
3
17
4,478
Ely Ratner retweeted
Jun 11
China “has been a clever practitioner of finding the gaps and seams in American power,” write @elyratner and Nick Danby. By contrast, American policymakers have “too often failed to press on China’s pain points or even develop options for doing so.
foreignaffairs.com/china/fau…
3
2
8
3,099
Ely Ratner retweeted
Jun 10
Important piece in @ForeignAffairs by the Biden admin’s top Pentagon Asia official @elyratner
27 May 2025
China's ambitions to dominate the region remain unchanged, and its military capabilities are growing. A Beijing-led order in the Indo-Pacific would relegate the United States to the status of a diminished power, making us less prosperous and secure.
1
9
6,768
Jun 10
Looking forward to this great discussion tomorrow.
The Indo-Pacific is now, more than ever, a vital theater of competition—one in which U.S. allies could play a decisive role in deterring regional adversaries.
@elyratner, @DavidFeith, @AmbVMKwatra, and @LisaCurtisDC will join @AsiaLens at the CNAS 2026 National Security Conference for a panel on burden sharing and cooperation in the region.
1
7
4,464
Ely Ratner retweeted
Jun 10
American policymakers have “too often failed to press on China’s pain points or even develop options for doing so.” Read @elyratner and Nick Danby on why Washington must “be ready to go on offense.”
foreignaffairs.com/china/fau…
8
9
16
5,237
Jun 10
NEW in the July/August issue of @ForeignAffairs: For decades, U.S. strategy has failed to build competitive leverage over China. Nick Danby and I lay out how to change that, from chips and trade to the dollar and energy. foreignaffairs.com/china/fau…
7
6
27
17,618
May 31
On Hegseth’s soft-pedaling of China, in @nytimes:
“Trump’s accommodation of China may yield more military engagement in the near term, but it will also invite greater PLA coercion against U.S. allies. That’s not a recipe for strategic stability.”
nytimes.com/2026/05/30/world…
5
13
37
6,546
May 14
My contribution:
— China is a lower priority in Trump’s 2nd term; views inside more mixed.
— “All of this comes together to create this softer policy we see now, philosophically this group appears geared toward a more accommodationist approach to China.”politi.co/3PkLxkQ
2
5
11
2,460
May 14
Spoke with @NewsHour on Trump’s visit to China, including how Taiwan and the war with Iran are shaping the summit.
President Trump is in Beijing for a state visit to America’s chief global competitor, and increasingly, its chief geopolitical rival.
Trump has long targeted China as an economic foe of the U.S. while cultivating a relationship with President Xi Jinping.
@nickschifrin reports.
1,239
May 11
Really enjoyed this discussion with Mark Wu during a recent visit to the @FairbankCenter on U.S. defense strategy in the Indo-Pacific. youtu.be/FePIj32FxDI?si=d-xw…
1
3
1,108
May 4
The Trump administration is pursuing a policy of accommodation toward China that will leave the U.S. with “less leverage, fewer partners and wider gaps to close.”
My latest in @FT: ft.com/content/1445c85a-7b3e…
15
20
50
31,644
Ely Ratner retweeted
May 1
Thank you @elyratner for the vote of confidence in #Taiwan. We’ll do all we can to acquire the right arms & transform our military for effective deterrence. Still more to be done. Timely passage of the special budget by the LY is crucial.
@elyratner, Vice-Chair of #GTI's US-Taiwan Task Force, argues that after serious reform, #Taiwan is able to play a critical role in #deterrence against future crises.
Watch the entire US-Taiwan Task Force Launch event: ow.ly/lbJO50YS1Cy
#USTaiwan
16
78
3,927
Ely Ratner retweeted
@elyratner, Vice-Chair of #GTI's US-Taiwan Task Force, argues that after serious reform, #Taiwan is able to play a critical role in #deterrence against future crises.
Watch the entire US-Taiwan Task Force Launch event: ow.ly/lbJO50YS1Cy
#USTaiwan
1
5
12
4,626
Apr 29
Enjoyed this conversation on how U.S. businesses should be thinking about the geopolitics of Asia. It capped a great day of discussions with faculty and students @HarvardRajawali and @Kennedy_School.
@elyratner joins the Rajawali Foundation to examine U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific, highlighting key geopolitical risks, private sector implications, and the region’s strategic and economic importance.
rajawali.hks.harvard.edu/art…
3
1,227
Apr 15
Honored to lead this bipartisan U.S.-Taiwan Task Force with Ambassador @robertcobrien — an exceptional group of former officials and experts committed to strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations. Full details: mailchi.mp/globaltaiwan/pres…
#GTI today announced the members of its #US #Taiwan Task Force, a #bipartisan coalition of national security experts from #Washington and #Taipei, chaired by Amb. O'Brien, and vice-chaired by Dr. Ratner. @elyratner @joshrogin
Press release: ow.ly/S8Xz50YK2Up
1
9
43
5,598
Ely Ratner retweeted
Mar 26
“While this may not lead to major contributions to a regional conflict, Wellington still has huge contributions to make in curbing China’s malign influence in the Pacific islands,” Ratner said.
wsj.com/world/oceania/new-ze…
1
1
3
1,173
Ely Ratner retweeted
Mar 24
Washington can't let this period of geopolitical flux put cross-Strait deterrence at risk.
In a new piece for @NikkeiAsia, my former Pentagon colleague Lauren Dickey and I lay out concrete steps Congress can take to help strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities.
Mar 24
The US has built a Taiwan security toolkit. Now it needs to use it s.nikkei.com/47nO2J8
1
6
4
3,360
Ely Ratner retweeted
"Every resource consumed in Iran is now unavailable for the Pacific, where the United States faces its most consequential military challenge," @Joe_m_costa and @ElyRatner write. wapo.st/3Ns50z5
3
4
6
969
Mar 16
Trump's war in Iran is degrading U.S. readiness for China—our most consequential military challenge. And the problem runs far deeper than munitions stockpiles.
In today's @washingtonpost, @Joe_m_costa and I argue that: "the strategic bill is coming due."
wapo.st/4cPFazE
18
45
153
20,534
Feb 26
Just back from a week in Australia, I trace three critical debates:
→ the resources necessary for the China challenge;
→ the growing U.S. military presence in Australia; and
→ the potential move toward collective defense with other Asian powers—notably Japan.
Hard conversations on Australia’s defence | Ely Ratner ift.tt/Yj0W9Ta
4
13
60
8,641