Ethan Epstein
Articles by Ethan Epstein
For access to China, Saudi Arabia, U.S. firms will have to pay a steep price
In 2002, a Chinese dissident named Wang Xiaoning was arrested because of an article he posted online. Mr. Wang had called, courageously, for democratic reforms — but had done so anonymously. He was arrested only because California-based Yahoo assisted the Chinese government in determining who had posted the piece. (Users of Yahoo's Bronze Age-style email service may be shocked the company actually had this technical capability.) Mr. Wang ended up serving 10 years in prison. Published January 2, 2019
North Korea: Is the glass half full or half empty?
The Democratic Party's line on North Korea is just one of many strange inversions of the Trump era. Alongside its newfound ardor for free trade, embrace of Victorian sexual ethics, and suspicion of all things Russian, the Democrats are now the party of North Korean hawkishness. Published December 19, 2018
China exploits Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou case in Global Times
The Global Times, based in Beijing, marries Communist Party propaganda with New York Post-style panache. Published December 12, 2018
Build a wall — on Mexico’s southern border
Just before Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, a Mexican newspaper floated an interesting, if unsourced, theory: As part of the renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Trump administration was contemplating assisting Mexico with fortifying its southern border with Guatemala. Published December 5, 2018
Chris Plante reigns over D.C. airwaves through wit, astonishing energy
The biggest question I had about Chris Plante was answered within the first several minutes I spent sitting in his studio at WMAL as he broadcast his 9 a.m. to noon radio show one day this month. The answer was yes: Chris Plante is always Chris Plante, even when the microphone is off. Published November 27, 2018