Keeping the lid on: Biden seeks to control three foreign crises

Russia threatens Ukraine, China threatens Taiwan, Iran threatens to go nuclear. President Biden must navigate some complex geopolitical shoals to keep political showdowns from becoming military meltdowns.

There’s an old adage about London buses: You can wait forever and, all of a sudden, three show up at once. Yet for President Joe Biden and America’s allies, the sudden concern isn’t buses. It’s a trio of military flashpoints – in Eastern Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East – involving three increasingly assertive U.S. rivals: Russia, China, and Iran.

Each daunting...