Ely Ratner
![Ely Ratner](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/9GvCG3G3.jpg)
Biography
Publications
Ely Ratner is the Maurice R. Greenberg senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
![Trump's coming hard line on China](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/trump-xi4.jpg?itok=3l8PaoYJ)
Trump's coming hard line on China
Three domestic factors are likely to drive the US toward a tougher China policy.
![Making sense of the known unknowns in the South China Sea](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/27894777434_3ed79886dd_k.jpg?itok=GpHP_-7F)
Making sense of the known unknowns in the South China Sea
The US doesn’t have to be willing to blockade Scarborough Reef to stop China from building a military base there.
![The false choice of war or accommodation in the South China Sea](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/cropped%20air%20carrier.jpg?itok=Gf45RQCs)
The false choice of war or accommodation in the South China Sea
There's a viable plan on the shelf if and when US policymakers are willing to admit that US efforts on the South China Sea are faltering.