Washington's Biggest Strategic Misstep: Welcoming Communist China

Written by James E. Fanell and Bradley A. Thayer via RealClearPolitics.com,

The world is currently in turmoil, from the conflict in Ukraine, the horrifying terror attack on October 7, and the ensuing chaos in the Middle East, to the turbulent South China Sea. The roots of these crises are not solely in Moscow or Tehran, but mainly in Washington and Beijing. These crises are the result of two major and interconnected strategic errors made by the United States.

The First Error: Misunderstanding the Threat Posed by the People’s Republic of China

The Second Error: Failure to Counterbalance this Threat

Due to these errors, the U.S. is in danger of losing its dominant position to a more assertive People's Republic of China (PRC), which is collaborating with Russia under Vladimir Putin and the Iranian mullahs. To understand the current global unrest, it's important to recognize three reasons why the U.S. is facing this severe strategic landscape.

Reason One: U.S. Elites Misjudged the Threat

The U.S. elites failed to recognize the threat due to their belief in the "End of History" - the misguided notion that nations like China, which are modernizing, are inevitably moving towards democratization and free-market economics.

Reason Two: U.S. Business Interests and Financiers Sought Economic Gain

U.S. business interests and financiers relentlessly pursued economic benefits from cooperation with Beijing. This facilitated China's rise and its integration into the Western economic system, as did its admission to the World Trade Organization.

Reason Three: Deng Xiaoping's Brilliant Political Warfare Strategy

Deng Xiaoping, one of the greatest strategists of the 20th century, implemented a brilliant political warfare strategy to promote threat deflation. As a result, the PRC has risen and is now using its power to the detriment of U.S. national security through its global actions, particularly in the East and South China Seas and Taiwan, as well as through its proxies in Iran and Russia.

Addressing the Threat

To counter this threat, Washington first needs to recognize Communist China for what it truly is: an aggressive great power that aims to overthrow the U.S. Secondly, the U.S. must educate younger generations on how to defeat the PRC. Education in the principles of power politics and the ideology of the CCP is crucial for victory. Thirdly, sustained presidential leadership is needed to define the enemy, educate the American public, and generate the necessary whole-of-government response. Fourthly, the failure of the intelligence community to identify China as an existential threat has significantly weakened the ability of American national security decision-makers to recognize and act against the threat. Lastly, U.S. military leadership failed to recognize and prepare for China's emergence as a formidable military power.

The U.S. Aided the Rise of its Adversary

The U.S. facilitated the rise of its adversary. Now, the Kremlin and Iran are operating in the strategic space that the PRC provides them.

Conclusion

This article has shed light on some of the strategic missteps made by the U.S. in its relationship with Communist China. It is clear that these errors have had far-reaching consequences, not just for the U.S., but for the global political landscape as well. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you agree or disagree with the points made in this article? Please share this article with your friends to get their views on this important topic. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which takes place every day at 6pm.