Grab Your Kit: Breaking Beijing is Expanding

A Call for Submissions and Guest Authors

Oct 18, 2023

Yes, you read that right. I want to turn Breaking Beijing from a one-man show into a bigger platform for China, military, and national security policy discussions.

Let me explain. Breaking Beijing’s audience is expanding, and I want to expand and diversify our voice, too. I also want to ensure that content doesn’t get stale and turn into meta-bloviating like so many others fall into.

For the last 15 months, I’ve written nearly three dozen articles and stories on national security, technology, US-China relations, and the future of warfare. I published one book and am working on a sequel. I’m also working on a film script and audiobook. Moving forward, I will continue to write in Breaking Beijing. I’m not going away. In fact, I’ve also got a few articles in the hopper right now on synthetic biology, education, and digital privacy. This isn’t about stepping back, but rather stepping forward into Breaking Beijing’s next stage.

I want to hear from all of you. I know my audience extends from Silicon Valley and Wall Street to the Department of Defense, and as I wrote recently, the voices of smart hawks and the bipartisan consensus on China are fading. Using my platform, I want to help reinvigorate the policy focus on China, while bringing in new and old voices to elevate creative ideas, policy rethinks, and new concepts.

My vision for Breaking Beijing was always to break the think tank hold on policy recommendations and to actually provide folks from middle management to senior leaders with concrete recommendations. I’ve come to the conclusion that opening up Breaking Beijing to guest writers seems like the right way to accomplish that mission. I want to do for US-China competition and conflict what platforms like War on the Rocks do for national security writers writ-large.

So, what is Breaking Beijing looking for in an article submission? Here’s a few guidelines:

In general, I’d like to keep posts between 500 and 3000 words. If your submission is a little over, I can work with you on bringing it below 3000. I’m doing this both for reader attention span and the sake of my inbox.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following: US-China diplomacy, mil-tech and emerging technologies, tactics and operations, strategy, views from the Joint Force, China policy, allied viewpoints, etc. If you’ve read Breaking Beijing before, you should have an idea what I’m looking for in terms of content. I’ll also accept book reviews.
If you are writing on policy, you must make *concrete* recommendations. No “Allies and Partners” bumper sticker stuff. Tell me *exactly* how you intend to change things. What mechanisms, who would you work with, where on the map would you get the job done?
I like maps and graphics if they help advance the argument or story you’re trying to tell.
There are no general requirements for background/experience/etc. Unlike other platforms, if I think you have a good idea/argument and I can verify/validate your points, I’m going to consider publishing. Early in my career, I was given chances that my resume didn’t necessarily support. I want to give back and offer that same opportunity to you. You can be an undergraduate student, junior officer, or an SES. I have no interest in professional gatekeeping, it’s a big pet-peeve of mine. However, if you’re an asshole (bigoted, insurrection-friendly, genocide denial, etc.) I reserve the right to ignore you.
I will accept works of fiction, so long as they are intended to be so.
I do not accept sponsored posts.
Citations are required, endnotes preferred. I’ll handle inputting the hyperlinks for the post itself.
When submitting, include the title of the article in the subject line of your email to: breakingbeijing@substack.com. In the body of the email, include who you are, a brief bio, and a synopsis for your article. Please submit in word doc format. You can usually expect a response/feedback within a week of submission.
Remember to enjoy your writing.

This is an experiment, but one I truly hope works out, so we’ll fire and adjust as necessary.

With all that being said, I look forward to your submissions!

Welcome to the war (writing),

-Tony Stark